After winning the Australian Open doubles title, tennis icon Rafael Nadal shared a post on Instagram stories, praising Indian veteran Rohan Bopanna.
The Spaniard was all praise following Bopanna’s triumph, he wrote, ”Congrats Rohan on an amazing and unique achievement.” The Indian tennis star won the doubles title at the Rod Laver Arena. He won the tournament alongside Matthew Ebden and became the oldest player to win a Grand Slam doubles title.
Bopanna-Ebden defeated the Italian duo of Bolelli-Vavassori in straight sets, showing no sympathy for their opponents and winning the title with a score of (7-6), (7-5).
It was the pair’s first triumph as a team and Bopanna’s first in men’s doubles after 60 prior Grand Slams – a record for most attempts before winning.
He will now have something more to add to the honors list as he has been presented with the Padma Shri Award, the fourth highest civilian award in India which was revealed earlier. The Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan and Bharat Ratna are the three highest civilian honours in India, with the Padma Shri coming in fourth. The Awards are presented in several disciplines/fields of activity, including art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, civil service, etc.