Rohan Bopanna is a 42-year-old professional tennis player from India. He made his professional debut in 2003 and is a doubles specialist, having won 22 career titles as well as winning the 2017 French Open mixed doubles title with Gabriela Dabrowski, becoming the fourth Indian player to win a Grand Slam title.
In men’s doubles, Bopanna reached a career-high ATP ranking of third in July 2012 and has been representing India in the Davis Cup since 2002. The old wily fox rolled back the years in 2018 when he won gold for India in men’s doubles with Divij Sharan as his partner. More recently, playing alongside Sania Mirza, he made it to the final of the 2023 Australian Open mixed doubles bracket before losing to the Brazilian pairing of Luisa Stefani and Rafael Matos in straight sets.
Following are Rohan Bopanna’s endorsement and sponsorship deals as well as his business ventures.
Asics
Sportswear brand Asics signed a clothing and shoe sponsorship deal with Bopanna in September 2019. Alongside the sponsorship deal, Asics also tied up with the Rohan Bopanna Tennis Academy (RBTA) to help impart tennis training to young players in the making.
Upon being announced as an Asics ambassador, Bopanna had said: “I have been using their gloves and shoes for the past few months. I am really looking forward to this association and performing to my best potential.”
GoodDot
September 2022 saw GoodDot, a pioneer in the plant-based meat industry in India, sign Bopanna as a goodness ambassador. The association aims to propagate the message that small changes in lifestyle and food choices can go a long way in making the world a better place.
On becoming a GoodDot goodness ambassador, Bopanna had said: “I am excited to partner with GoodDot to create a more compassionate world. I truly believe in the philosophy that if it’s good for the planet, it’s good for you.”
Indian Oil
The Indian Oil Corporation, a central public sector undertaking under the ownership of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India, signed Bopanna as a brand ambassador in 2018. Bopanna has been a part of many commercials and advertisement campaigns for the company.
Business Ventures
The Flying Squirrel
In 2013, Bopanna started The Flying Squirrel, one of India’s leading online coffee brands. As its website states, The Flying Squirrel started as an attempt to make coffee from Tej’s farm in Coorg more accessible to friends and family.
When asked in an interview with YourStory about the reason for his love for coffee, Bopanna said: “Coffee was there in my life before tennis, I have grown up in the coffee farms and estates in Coorg. I picked up my love for coffee when I was 10. Living in the estate for 14 years, I grew up with the smell and taste of coffee.
“I would travel with the coffee, and give it to a few coffee lovers, who enjoyed it. I realised that a lot of people loved coffee, and my dad takes care of our coffee estate and farm like it is his own child. It got me thinking, and I decided to make my own blend.”
Rohan Bopanna Tennis Academy (RBTA)
Established in 2016, the Rohan Bopanna Tennis Academy is one the best professional tennis academies in India, with world class facilities and coaches with great knowledge and experience of the sport. Located on a three-acre property in Yelahanka, Karnataka, the RBTA offers four high-quality clay courts and facilities.
In May 2020, Bopanna launched an ambitious scholarship programme aimed at providing tennis and academic education simultaneously to 60 kids at a reported annual cost of ?10 lakh per child. The programme is being run through a collaboration between the RBTA and The Sports School, which is the base of the training centre in Bengaluru.
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