 "Rohan Bopanna")
Rohan Bopanna. Photo: @Wimbledon
The 117-member contingent of India is all set to start their campaign at the 2024 Paris Olympics, commencing on Saturday, July 27. The Indian team is brimming with young and upcoming talent, with 72 of the 117 athletes making their Olympic debut in Paris. However, the team also boasts a number of experienced veterans who are favourites to secure medals. Among these seasoned players, tennis veteran Rohan Bopanna stands out.
Check Paris Olympics 2024 India events LIVE UPDATES on DAY 1 HERE
Rohan Bopanna, who celebrated his 44th birthday in March, is enjoying the form of his life. He currently holds the record for being the oldest player to achieve the number one ranking in ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) doubles, a feat he accomplished in January this year. His qualification for the Paris Olympics also makes him the second-oldest tennis player to feature in the summer Olympics.
Currently ranked number four in ATP doubles, Bopanna won the gold medal in the mixed doubles competition at the 2023 Asian Games with Rutuja Bhosale in September last year. He continued his impressive form by securing the doubles title at the Australian Open with Mathew Ebden in January of this year.
In the 2024 Paris OlympicsBopanna will have a three-year age gap with the second-oldest Indian athlete, table tennis star Achantha Sharath Kamal, and a staggering 30-year age gap with the youngest Indian athlete, 14-year-old swimmer Dhinidhi Desai from Bengaluru.
Despite being the oldest Indian athlete at the Olympics, Bopanna is nowhere near the record of the oldest overall athlete in the Games, which belongs to Canadian equestrian Jill Irving, who will be 61 years old during her participation.
Bopanna will compete in the men’s doubles tennis competition at the Paris Olympics alongside N Sriram Balaji, who is a decade younger than his teammate.
First Published: Jul 27 2024 | 12:07 PM IS