Coffee connoisseur Rohan Bopanna on Saturday 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 at the BNP Paribas Open.
Bopanna and his playing partner Matthew Ebden of Australia beat the top-ranked pair of Dutchman Wesley Koolhof and Briton Neal Skupski 6-3, 2-6, 10-8 to claim their second title together and first of the season.
“Truly special. It’s called Tennis Paradise for a reason. I’ve been coming here over the years and seeing all these guys win, and I’m really happy that Matt and I were able to do this and get this title here,” Bopanna said.
Photo: AFP
“There have been some tough matches, close matches and today we played against one of the best teams out there, so I’m really happy we got the title,” he added.
Former doubles world No. 3 Bopanna, whose family owns a coffee plantation in the Kodagu district of the south Indian state of Karnataka, said the drink was the secret of his success.
“It’s the Indian coffee that I keep having when traveling. That’s the secret. The biggest thing is to make sure you recover well after matches and that’s really helped me,” Bopanna said.
Bopanna beat the record held by former partner Daniel Nestor and said that taking care of his body had paid off.
“That’s the most important part, especially when you’re getting older. Some days I tell Matt I maybe just practiced 20 minutes, but I’d rather rest the body and be ready for our matches,” Bopanna said.
“That’s really been the key. I spoke to Danny and told him: ‘Sorry, I’m going to beat your record.’ Being in the final, I was already the oldest and winning the final that stays with me. Really happy with that,” he said.
Indian doubles great Mahesh Bhupathi hailed former playing partner Bopanna’s longevity and ability to peak late in his career.
“Bring it home Bofors,” Bhupathi wrote on Twitter, alluding to the nickname Bopanna has earned because of his booming serve.
“Bofors gone where no Indian man has gone before ... The distance in the desert! Keep climbing,” he added.
In the men’s singles, the sixth-ranked Daniil Medvedev — who had never made it past the fourth round at Indian Wells — survived a late surge from Frances Tiafoe for a 7-5, 7-6 (7/4) victory over the 16th-ranked American.
He and Carlos Alcaraz were yesterday to battle for their first title at the tournament, after top-seed Alcaraz defeated 13th-ranked Italian Jannik Sinner 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 to reach his third final of the year.
Additional reporting by AFP
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