 "Novak Djokovic (L) and Rohan Bopanna (R) will appear in an exclusive conversation on Firstpost.")
Two World No 1s, both the oldest top-ranked players in men’s tennis, Rohan Bopanna and Novak Djokovic will indulge in an exclusive conversation on First Sports on Tuesday (9 April) at 7 PM IST.
Bopanna, 44, and Djokovic, 36, have stretched the boundaries of the sport with their longevity at the highest level of tennis. India’s Bopanna became the oldest World No 1 during the Australian Open and went one further by reclaiming the top spot with the title in Miami .
Djokovic, meanwhile, surpassed Roger Federer by becoming the oldest man to be ranked No 1 in the ATP Tour’s computerised rankings on Monday.
36-year-old Djokovic, turns 37 next month, is now older than Federer was on his last day atop the rankings in June 2018. Monday gives Djokovic 420 total weeks at that spot, extending another mark Federer (who was there for 310 weeks) had at one time before Djokovic broke it.
Despite his age-defying achievements, Djokovic enters the Monte Carlo Masters with a mixed year. He exited the Australian Open in the semi-finals , losing to eventual champion Jannik Sinner . In his next tournament, at Indian Wells, he lost to Luca Nardi in the second round. Subsequently the Serb pulled out of Miami Open citing scheduling concerns.
Off the court, Djokovic ended his four-year association with former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic.
In comparison, Bopanna and partner Matthew Ebden have had a stellar year. The Indo-Australian team clinched the Australian Open title and the Miami Open.
By clinching the title in Miami, Bopanna won his sixth ATP Masters 1000 crown. With his run to the final, ‘Bops’ became the second Indian, after Leander Paes, to reach the final of all nine Masters 1000 tournaments. Rohan became the oldest Masters 1000 champion when he triumphed at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.