Bopanna & Ebden seek fairytale finish to partnership in Turin

Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden’s two-year partnership is coming to and at the Nitto ATP Finals this week, and they are preparing to finish with a flourish, despite dropping their opening group match. 

The Indian-Australian duo knows what it takes to win big titles, and 2024 was no different. Bopanna and Ebden raced out the blocks in a blistering start to the season which saw them both reach No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings after clinch the Australian Open trophy. 

“I think it would be beautiful to finish the year with a title, especially [with] the way we started off this year,” Bopanna told ATPTour.com. “It has been an up and down journey. We had a great first three months, and then we had a few challenges along the way in terms of our performance."

Battling a mid-season slump, Bopanna and Ebden ignited deep runs at big events, including the semi-finals at Roland Garros, to secure their spot at the Nitto ATP Finals and put them in contention to end on a high. Bopanna, who became the oldest player to reach World No. 1 at 43 in January, has twice triumphed at the season-ending finale.

This year, the Indian is seeking a hat-trick for what would be Ebden’s maiden trophy at the prestigious event.

“I think we have had a great two years together, and to finish on a high note, I think it will be beautiful,” added Bopanna. “I think one of the advantages is that you do have a second chance here. Of course, you try and win all the matches, but if that doesn’t happen, you still have a great chance to qualify and do well. It is the only one of a kind tournament we have where we do have a second chance.”

Bopanna and Ebden will indeed be hoping to capitalise on the unique format, having fallen to the fired up Italian duo of Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori in their opening-round match. On Wednesday, they bid to secure their first win in Mike Bryan Group, but face an arduous task against top seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic.

“Last year, we obviously had a successful season,” Ebden recalled. “We made Turin, and we talked at the end of last year. But this year, we decided that we are going to continue, to go again for another year.

“It was great we did, because we got our outcomes, particularly in January, winning the Australian Open, moving on to winning Miami, and being the No. 1 team. Those were some of our big goals when we started. Now we’ve hit nearly all those goals, we said ‘Let’s try to go together for one more big title [in Turin] and finish on a big high.”

Having together reached the pinnacle of the sport and won dazzling titles, Bopanna and Ebden will begin their new chapters in the 2025 season.

”[I’m] looking forward to finding a good partner and definitely looking forward to continuing playing in 2025,” added Bopanna, who will turn 45 in April.”

[NEWSLETTER FORM]