Rohan Bopanna Wins Australian Open UPSC

AUSTRALIAN OPEN

Copyright infringement not intended

Picture Courtesy: www.livemint.com

Context: Rohan Bopanna's recent victory at the Australian Open in men's doubles, partnering with Matthew Ebden, is a historic achievement that places him in the company of other Indian tennis greats who have excelled at the Grand Slam tournament.

Key Highlights

Bopanna and Ebden secured the Australian Open men's doubles title by defeating the Italian pair of Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori in the final.
At the age of 43 years and 329 days, Bopanna became the oldest man to win a Grand Slam title in the Open era.
Bopanna now joins a select list of Indian tennis players who have won titles at the Australian Open. This includes legends like Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi, Sania Mirza, and others. Notable victories include Leander Paes and Martina Navratilova's mixed doubles win in 2003, Mahesh Bhupathi's mixed doubles victories in 2006 and 2009, and Sania Mirza's women's doubles win in 2016, among others.
This is Bopanna's second Grand Slam title, with his first being the French Open mixed doubles title in 2018. His contributions to Indian tennis were acknowledged by the Indian government, which honoured him with the prestigious Padma Shri award while he was actively participating in the Australian Open.

Australian Open

●The Australian Open is the oldest Grand Slam tournament, first held in 1905 as the Australasian Championships. It became the Australian Open in 1969.

●It is played annually over two weeks in January, culminating in the finals on the last weekend.

●The tournament is held at Melbourne Park, a sporting complex in Melbourne, Australia.

●The Australian Open features five main events: men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles. Wheelchair tennis and junior championships are also held.

●The Australian Open is the first Grand Slam tournament of the year.

●It is the only Grand Slam tournament played on hard courts.

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q. Which player holds the record for most Australian Open men's singles titles?

A) Novak Djokovic

B) Roger Federer

C) Rafael Nadal

D) Rod Laver

Answer: A

Explanation:

Novak Djokovic currently holds the record for most Australian Open men's singles titles with 10 wins. While Roger Federer has 6 titles and Rod Laver has 4, neither of them surpasses Djokovic's achievements. Rafael Nadal has 2 Australian Open titles to his name.