Exclusive: Tennis legend Vijay Amritraj hails Rohan Bopanna's longevity on First Sports

Exclusive: Tennis legend Vijay Amritraj hails Rohan Bopanna’s longevity on First Sports

In an exclusive conversation with Rupha Ramani on Firstpost’s brand new show First Sports, Indian tennis legend Vijay Amritraj heaped praise on veteran player Rohan Bopanna for his longevity and a terrific career.

The 43-year-old Bopanna, who recently became the oldest player to reach a Grand Slam final after reaching the men’s doubles summit clash, capped off his 21-year Davis Cup career with a win on Sunday.

Exclusive: Bopanna caps off Davis Cup run with win, ‘proud’ of ‘phenomenal’ year

In the Mic Up segment on the maiden episode of First Sports that aired on Monday, Amritraj not only hailed Bopanna for his longevity, but for also playing with “terrific grace and humility”

“Rohan has had a remarkable career. I always said to him on several occasions and even more recently that he transformed his tennis-playing habits to focus on something he realised he would be very good at and stay focused on it.

“When you look at the longevity of someone like Rohan who has done it with terrific grace and humility and the Indian culture always backing him, it’s great to see him perform the way he has,” Amritraj, who has taken up commentary among other things since his retirement, said on the show.

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Amritraj, who had reached the quarter-finals of Wimbledon and US Open on two different occasions, also touched upon the first time Bopanna had reached the final of a Grand Slam and the impact that it had on Indian tennis.

“I was hosting a Major event in New York one year when he and Qureshi got to the final of the US Open, and I thought it was a real landmark moment for both Indian and Pakistan tennis at the time. Both of them being on the same court against the Bryan brothers was for me a great visual to see what tennis can do. That’s why I feel his longevity has also helped shape where we are in tennis today,” Amritraj added.