NEW DELHI : Indian tennis star Rohan Bopanna was honoured with the Padma Shri award, the fourth-highest civilian award, by President Droupadi Murmu on Monday.
Bopanna was given the award for his recent fine performances that lit up the world of tennis. He along with Australia’s Matthew Ebden, secured the Miami Open men’s doubles title in March-end. Before that, in the Australian Open held this year, the duo defeated Italy’s Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori in straight sets, 7-6, 7-5, in a thrilling final.
It was Bopanna’s second career Grand Slam title and his first in men’s doubles. His previous Grand Slam victory came in mixed doubles with Gabriela Dabrowski of Canada at the 2017 French Open.
He made his 17th Australian Open appearance in this edition, comfortably wrapped up his maiden Grand Slam men’s doubles title victory. Aged 43 years, and 329 days, he also became the oldest Grand Slam champion. The Indian tennis player is also the third Indian man in the Open Era to win a major men’s doubles title, following Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi.
In the Asian Games last year at Hangzhou, Bopanna and Rutuja Bhosale won a Gold medal in the Tennis Mixed Doubles event.
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Padma Shri was also conferred upon the para-swimmer Satendra Singh Lohia by President Murmu.
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Harbinder Singh a former hockey player for India and an international-level coach was also given the Padma Shri award for his distinguished service to the sport. In the field hockey, he won a gold in the 1964 Olympics with the Indian team and secured bronze medals in the 1968 Mexico and 1972 Munich Olympics.
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Purnima Mahanto, an acclaimed archery coach, was also honoured with the Padma Shri award by President Murmu. (ANI)