Tennis-coffee-fueled Bopanna becomes Indian Wells’ oldest Masters champion
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(Reuters) – Coffee connoisseur Rohan Bopanna credited the special Indian blends he consumes on tour for his success after the 43-year-old became the oldest ATP Masters 1000 champion by winning the men’s doubles title on Saturday .
Bopanna and his playing partner Matthew Ebden from Australia defeated the top duo of Dutchman Wesley Koolhof and Briton Neal Skupski 6-3, 2-6, 10-8 to claim their second joint title and first of the season.
“Really special. It’s called Tennis Paradise for a reason. I come here over the years and I see all these guys win and I’m really happy that Matt and I were able to do that and get that title here,” Bopanna said .
“There were some tough games, close games and today we played against one of the best teams out there so I’m really happy we got the title.”
Former world no.
“It’s the Indian coffee that I always drink when I travel. That’s the secret. The most important thing is that you have a good rest after the games and that really helped me,” said Bopanna.
Bopanna beat former partner Daniel Nestor’s record and said taking care of his body has paid off.
“That’s the most important part, especially as you get older. Some days I tell Matt I may have only practiced 20 minutes, but I’d rather rest the body and be ready for our games,” Bopanna said.
“That was really the key. I spoke to Danny and told him ‘sorry I’m going to beat your record’. When I was in the final I was already the oldest and won the final that sticks with me. Really happy with it. “
Indian doppelgänger great Mahesh Bhupathi praised his former playing partner Bopanna’s longevity and his ability to peak late in his career.
“Bring it home Bofors,” Bhupathi tweeted, alluding to the nickname Bopanna earned for his booming serve.
“Bofors has gone where no Indian has gone before… The distance in the desert! Keep climbing.”
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)
