Indian Tennis Icon Rohan Bopanna announces his new doubles partner

Rohan Bopanna has officially announced that he will partner with Nicolas Barrientos at the upcoming Australian Open, a decision he shared on social media. 

Nicolas Barrientos, currently ranked World No. 49, brings experience to the court as a 37-year-old right-handed player from Colombia. He has successfully claimed one doubles title on the ATP Tour.

Bopanna-Ebden fallout after a good season 

Bopanna, at 44 years old and ranked 15th in the world, achieved the milestone last year by winning his first Major in men’s doubles in Melbourne alongside Matthew Ebden. This remarkable victory made him the oldest male player to secure a Grand Slam title and propelled him to the top of the ATP Rankings.

Bopanna’s two-year partnership with Australia’s Ebden has officially ended following their disappointing exit from the ATP Finals in Turin, where they performed poorly in the group stage. They joined forces at the beginning of the 2023 season and achieved impressive results, securing four titles and finishing as runners-up at the US Open.

Despite there being no fallout between them, Bopanna was caught off guard when Ebden abruptly decided to go separate ways. While the duo gave it their best shot at the ATP Finals in Turin, the underwhelming results marked a clear conclusion to their partnership. Ebden had made it clear that he was ready to move on.

“Usually, the doubles pairs are decided after the US Open for the next season. What was more surprising for me also was that my name had been linked with Ivan Dodig when I was playing in Turin,” said Bopanna in a recent interview with Revzsport.

“Nicolas is a baseline player and his strengths are speed, return of serve and groundstrokes, I would like to keep going and do my best,” added Bopanna