US Open: End of an era? Rohan Bopanna hints at retirement after first-round exit

NEW YORK: Has Rohan Bopanna played his final Grand Slam?The 45-year-old, a poster boy for longevity, bowed out in the first round of the US Open men’s doubles, partnering with Romain Arneodo. The Indo-Monégasque duo fell 4–6, 3–6 in just 65 minutes to the American pair of Robert Cash and JJ Tracy.

Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!

Bopanna, who is targeting the Asian swing in China and Japan over the next couple of months, to close out the year, doesn’t rule out retiring at the end of the season.“That I will play on the Tour next year is not definite for sure. I'm still thinking it through,” Bopanna told TOI at Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre. “At the end of the day, it's been a long, long ride. It’s a possibility that I might just call it a day.”
Bopanna pointed at the calendar, saying he wasn’t sure he wanted to keep playing 30 weeks a year.“If I play it'll be a full commitment and that’s a lot. The biggest motivation to continue is to play the big events -- Grand Slams and the Masters,” he said. The Bengaluru-based pro, who has his own tennis academy, seems to be turning his focus homeward.“If I do not continue on the Tour, I could use my expertise to make a difference in Indian tennis. That is what I want to do and I feel we need a change,” he said.Bopanna argued that the growing gap between players and administrators in Indian tennis needed to be bridged.

“We have some good juniors now,” Bopanna said. “It's time to build. If that has to be done somebody needs to be there and at it every day”. “The domestic circuit in India needs to grow,” Bopanna said. “We need to bring in tournaments where there will be significant prize-money which players can use to travel abroad to tournaments. We need a domestic circuit where players are earning enough money so that they’re not always looking for sponsorships.”Bopanna enjoyed a remarkable 2023-2024 seasons, scripting a resurgence marked by multiple finals, Masters titles and Grand Slam achievements and claiming the world No.1 ranking partnering Aussie Matthew Ebden.The 45-year-old’s Grand Slam record includes three men’s doubles finals (one title, 2024 Australian Open) and three mixed doubles finals (one title, 2017 French Open).After retiring from India duties post-Paris 2024, the veteran pro has remained active on the Tour. Bopanna, who lost in the opening round of the men’s doubles in all majors this year, save the French Open, where he made the third round, has been without a regular partner this year. He has played 18 tournaments with eight different partners.Meanwhile, in another first round men’s doubles match, 14th seeds Yuki Bhambri and Kiwi Michael Venus put out Americans Learner Tien and Marcos Giron 6-0, 6-3 in 61-minutes.Next up for Bhambri and Venus is Ecuador’s Gonzalo Escobar and Mexico’s Miguel Reyes-Varela.