Rohan Bopanna made history by becoming the oldest tennis player to claim the No. 1 spot in the men’s doubles rankings just days after claiming his maiden Australian Open title in the same category. It was a huge achievement for the 43-year-old who produced a brilliant performance along with Matthew Ebden in the year’s first Grand Slam. In a recent interaction, Bopanna spoke about his career and recalled how he used to play cricket with legendary tennis star Roger Federer in the locker room at Wimbledon.
“There were many times where we were at Wimbledon in the locker room, you know, Roger and I used to play cricket. I think there were three times we were at the warm-up area with a similar juncture because we were playing matches which were similar times on different courts, and we happened to be there.”
Bopanna faced Federer in men’s singles tennis back in 2006 at the Halle Open first round and later, the two teams up for Indian Aces at the International Tennis Premier League (ITPL).
During the interaction, Bopanna was all praise for the Swiss superstar and said that although he was a great champion, Federer interacted with all the players and even understood them.
“I think how he changed the sport, not only on the court but off the court as well,” Bopanna said.
“He was somebody who communicated with all the players, and understood them. Even though he was such a great champion, no matter where he met some players, he was always amazing.”
