MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Rohan Bopanna became the oldest male Grand Slam winner in the Open era when he won the Australian Open men’s doubles title on Saturday alongside Matthew Ebden, and the 43-year-old Indian puts it all down to his recovery method.
Bopanna and Australia’s Ebden saw off the Italian duo of Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori 7-6(0) 7-5, and afterwards Bopanna explained how he keeps in shape.
“I think the recovery is a huge aspect of where I’m really focusing on to get ready, on to the matches,” Bopanna told reporters.
“From the first day I landed here in Adelaide till yesterday, every single day I have been in the ice bath. I think that is the number one recovery for me, which really helps all the inflammation in the body.”
Bopanna, who will now become the world number one in doubles, says he is currently playing the best tennis of his life, but his preparation is very different these days.
“The biggest reason for that is also how I’m managing my body, my time, in terms of there are days when I tell my coach or Matty that I don’t want to practice,” he said.
“I have stopped going to the gym. I really do specific kind of work for my body. I do a lot of yoga. In the morning I do some meditation to just start off the day.
“As I’m getting older, I feel I can’t sleep past 7:30, 8:00. I’m up no matter what. Then I have some time by myself, and I enjoy that. Yeah, that has been the biggest key, which has really helped me be calmer and feel refreshed.”
Last year was the beginning of his partnership with Ebden, and after reaching the Wimbledon semi-finals they then made the final of the U.S. Open, but for Bopanna, who won the 2017 French Open mixed doubles, his latest win in Australia tops everything.
“For me, without a doubt the best moment in my career,” he said.
“With the year we had last year, to continue and start off like this and win a Grand Slam, you know, no better player to do it with.”
The oldest ever Grand Slam winner, male or female, is Martina Navratilova, and Bopanna has a while to go to beat her record when she won the U.S. Open mixed doubles in 2003 aged 46 years and 261 days. But he shows no signs of stopping yet.
“As long as I’m enjoying and playing my best tennis, I don’t see there is any reason to really stop at the moment,” Bopanna said.
(Reporting by Trevor Stynes; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
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