In an exclusive interview with Clay, Indian tennis legend Rohan Bopanna talked about many interesting topics, one of which is the age-old question of the GOAT of tennis. A choice that obviously falls on one among Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
“The greatest tennis player of all time is Novak Djokovic. His consistency over the years has been incredible. Novak has broken so many barriers. What he has done is amazing. Who has had the biggest impact on our sport? I still say Djokovic,” he said.
Novak Djokovic© Novak Djokovic/Instagram – Fair Use
On January 29, Bopanna became the oldest ATP doubles No. 1, at 43, thanks to his success at the Australian Open with Matthew Ebden. On March 4th he turned 44 and, despite the records and important victories in his career, he has no intention of stopping. Always together with the Australian, in fact, the Indian will play the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.
“I am the CEO of my company. I have worked all my life to get to the top and play at the top, so there is no reason to stop now that I am still there. I have fun, I compete and I love the competition. Some days of training I do not like, but I look forward to playing matches. On match day I am ready to play and I look forward to it. It is no longer a question of money, but of feelings, of joy. In the end, when you are young you make a lot of sacrifices. In tennis the career is short, so I enjoy it as much as I can. As long as I continue to win tournaments, important titles, there is nothing better. I think it is something beautiful and that inspires a lot of people at home, especially in my academy,” said the Indian.
“When I come back and talk to the kids, they are so happy. It’s nice to know that they can see me play on TV and when I come back they see me in person. I can share my experiences with them. We just started a great program in India for kids. My family travels with me. I never thought my daughter would see me play in person. If I had stopped at 35, it wouldn’t have happened,” he added.
