The debate over who is the greatest tennis player of all time has never been more alive, but no matter how many tennis legends have graced the sport, the discussion almost always comes back to the members of the iconic “Big Three”: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic.
Each of them has their own unique style, preferred surface, and technique, yet all three have made invaluable contributions to the sport, not just tennis. Recently, Indian tennis player Rohan Bopanna was asked who he believes is the best of all time.
At 44 years old, Bopanna remains active on the ATP circuit, primarily playing doubles. He holds the record as the oldest player to win a Grand Slam title, having claimed the 2024 Australian Open men’s doubles crown.
“Novak Djokovic. The way he’s been so consistent over the years has been incredible. Even though I’ve been around with all the others for so many years, I think Novak has broken so many barriers. The consistency he’s had is fabulous. I also have no doubts he’s the most influential in the history of our sport,” Bopanna said in an interview with ClayTennis.
The shared achievement between Djokovic and Bopanna
While Novak Djokovic holds the record for the most Australian Open singles titles and Bopanna won only one Australian Open title in doubles, the two players share a significant achievement.
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Djokovic set a historic record by becoming the oldest player to reach World No. 1 in men’s singles at 36 years and 321 days, surpassing Roger Federer, who had been No. 1 at 36 years and 320 days.
Meanwhile, Bopanna became the oldest player to reach World No. 1 in doubles after his Australian Open victory in 2024, doing so at 43 years and 329 days. Both players hold the distinction of being the oldest to achieve the No. 1 ranking in their respective ATP categories, singles and doubles.
In celebration of Djokovic’s achievement, he posted a photo on social media alongside Bopanna, with the caption: “Age is just a number. For us, that number is 1.”
Bopanna on playing at 44
Bopanna shared that age is never a consideration when he steps onto the court, as he views every player in the tournament as aiming for the same goal: to win the championship.
“I never think about age, because we’re all there to play tennis in the same tournament,” he explained. “Because whether someone is older than me or younger, it doesn’t make a difference”.
“Both of us are there to win the match. So I just go out and play my game,” Bopanna continued. “I don’t focus on whether they’re younger, older, my age, or 15 or 20 years younger. It doesn’t matter. Once you cross 18, we all enter the real world”.
