How the Bopanna, Ebden champion pairing was forged

Around the end of 2022 when Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden had a chat about potentially partnering up, the Indian, gradually back up the rankings from outside 40 to inside 20 through that season, had a word with his coach Scott Davidoff.
“I was getting to play with a Grand Slam champion,” Bopanna said of Ebden, one half of the 2022 Wimbledon doubles winner. “I told my coach that here’s a good opportunity — let’s try and work together to improve where we are.”
So, here he is: Bopanna, the newly crowned Grand Slam champion in men’s doubles at the Australian Open, will be the new world No.1 in doubles on Monday, and the Bopanna-Ebden pair at the top of the team rankings pile.
That improvement is testament to not just Bopanna’s individual tenacity but also the Bopanna-Ebden combo’s growing strength since teaming up at the start of last year. The experienced Indian and the Slam-winning Australian got together laying down lofty goals: winning the big ATP events, Grand Slam titles and being the best doubles team on the tour.
Twelve months into the pair’s being, it has ticked all those boxes while also being consistent: one Slam, two ATP titles (Doha andIndian Wells Masters in 2023) and six finals apart from a semi-final finish at the year-ending ATP Finals.
“We really understood what our strengths are, and trusted each other as partners,” Bopanna said on Sunday, a day after lifting the title with Ebden. “Just being consistent week in week out. After playing with so many people over the years, this has been the most consistent partner in terms of doing well in major events.”
The experience they both bring to the court is immense. Bopanna, with 24 ATP doubles titles, has been a doubles specialist for over 15 years. Ebden, 36, had also been a top-50 singles player who turned his focus to doubles in the last couple of years. Their games are equally complementary. With that huge serve, Bopanna has a weapon that can trouble the best while also being powerful from the baseline. Ebden possesses a solid all-round game that will seldom crumble. His net play, which is often the perfect foil for the Bopanna serve, is quite effective.
“He (Bopanna) plays on the deuce court; I play on the ad. We thought our games could complement each other well,” Ebden said in Melbourne about what he felt could click between them.
For Bopanna, it’s also about their composure as individual players and team. After two early exits in Slams to begin their journey, they stormed into the Wimbledon semi-final staving off match points in a couple of matches. In their opening set in this Australian Open, Bopanna and Ebden rallied from being 5-0 down.
“Our biggest strength is being calm together as a team. No matter what the situation, I don’t think it has any time fazed us or put us in a spot of bother. Even if you look at this tournament, starting off we were 0-5 down in the first set, but I don’t think there was any doubt that the match was slipping away from us,” Bopanna said.
The new partnership also compelled Bopanna to look more inward. The PRP injections and Iyengar yoga had helped his battered knees, but he needed a more round-the-clock solution to stay fitter and stronger. He therefore began working with Belgian physio Rebecca Van Orshaegen.
“I needed something which I followed consistently on the road, and I focussed on being fit and strong for the big events,” Bopanna said. “That was a new sacrifice for me, bringing that commitment. That was one of the reasons I started telling myself that I needed to improve on my end first before improving that partnership. Matt also decided what he can bring in and how our strengths can combine and make it really tough for everyone out there.”
The fortnight has been a swirl of emotions for Bopanna. Having never made it past the third round in Melbourne before, he was assured of his new No.1 status after the quarter-final win and then learnt about his shortlist for the Padma Shri award.
“It’s definitely the best time of my life. Never in my career during a tournament have I been flooded with messages,” he said. “But all through, I kept my eyes on the goal ahead. I knew the way Matt and I were playing in Adelaide (they reached the final), if we kept going, we had a genuine shot at the title,” Bopanna said.
A title that made the 43-year-old “feel free” and gave the 2017 French Open mixed doubles champion an unparalleled feeling.
“This feels extra special,” Bopanna said. “When I decided to focus on doubles and make it a career, men’s doubles was the target, without a doubt. This is the best moment of my tennis journey.”