After two decades of professional tennis, Rohan Bopanna has called time on a storied career that blended endurance, reinvention, and improbable triumph. The 45-year-old Indian star — one of the oldest active players in world tennis — announced his retirement on Friday, marking the end of a remarkable run that reached its peak just as most athletes wind down.

In a heartfelt post shared on social media, Bopanna reflected on his journey, writing:

“Tennis has given me purpose when I was lost, strength when I was broken, and belief when the world doubted me.”

The message accompanied a short video montage celebrating his life on court — from his early Davis Cup appearances to the emotional highs of Grand Slam victories.

A Late-Career Fairytale

Bopanna’s resurgence in the twilight of his career remains one of tennis’s most inspiring stories. In partnership with Australia’s Matthew Ebden, he captured the 2024 Australian Open men’s doubles title, becoming both the oldest Grand Slam winner and the oldest world No. 1 doubles player in tennis history.

Before that, he had already etched his name in history books by winning the 2017 French Open mixed doubles title with Gabriela Dabrowski of Canada. Over his career, he reached five Grand Slam finals, represented India in three Olympic Games, and played Davis Cup for over two decades — from 2002 to 2023.

“Representing India,” he said, “has been the greatest honour of my life.”

From Coorg to the World Stage

Bopanna’s story is also one of humble beginnings and persistence. Raised in Coorg, southern India, he learned tennis on a homemade court his father built at the insistence of his grandfather — a coffee farmer who wanted his son to have something purposeful to do.

From there, Bopanna embarked on an unlikely journey that saw him train in Pune, more than 600 miles from home, often paying his own way through tennis academies. His early singles career was unremarkable, but when he switched focus to doubles, his fortunes changed.

In 2010, he and Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi of Pakistan reached the US Open final, a partnership that symbolized sportsmanship and cross-border friendship amid political tension between their countries.

The Yoga That Saved His Career

By 2020, Bopanna’s career seemed finished. Chronic knee cartilage damage left him struggling to walk, let alone play. Then came an unexpected lifeline — Iyengar yoga.

Introduced to the practice by a relative, he trained under Mohan and Jaya Polamarasetty at a studio in Bangalore. The discipline’s focus on alignment and strength gradually relieved his pain and restored his mobility. With renewed vigor, Bopanna returned to the tour — not only to compete, but to win.

His transformation was so complete that by 2024, he was lifting a Grand Slam trophy, his wife Supriya Annaiah and daughter Tridha cheering from the stands.

“I once feared I’d never hit a tennis ball with my child,” Bopanna said in his farewell note. “Instead, she got to see me win a Grand Slam.”

A Fitting Farewell

As he bids farewell, Bopanna leaves behind not just trophies, but a legacy built on perseverance and reinvention. His career — from the red soil of Coorg to the bright lights of Melbourne — embodies the belief that grit and grace can defy the limits of age.

In his own words, “Tennis didn’t just give me a career. It gave me life.”