“Roger Federer and I used to play cricket” – Rohan Bopanna reveals chance encounters with Swiss in Wimbledon locker room

2024 Australian Open men’s doubles champion Rohan Bopanna recently recounted playing cricket with Roger Federer.

Bopanna also had high praise for the Swiss maestro’s personality off the court, stating that the latter had no qualms in interacting with lower-ranked players despite his stature.

Bopanna won his maiden Major men’s doubles title in Melbourne last week with local favourite Matthew Ebden.

The Indo-Aussie pair defeated Italy’s Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori 7-6(0), 7-5 in the title clash, rising to the World No. 1 position in the ATP men’s doubles rankings.

To celebrate the auspicious occasion of putting India on the tennis map, Rohan Bopanna sat down with Indian influencer Dilip Kumar on Tuesday (January 30) to discuss several interesting topics. The fact that the 43-year-old had both played against and teamed up with Roger Federer was eventually brought up, eliciting a personal account from the men’s World No. 1.

Bopanna heaped rich praise on the Swiss maestro for transcending the sport through his unrivaled class and charming personality, stating that he was always courteous to any player that he ran into off-court.

To celebrate the auspicious occasion of putting India on the tennis map, Rohan Bopanna sat down with Indian influencer Dilip Kumar on Tuesday (January 30) to discuss several interesting topics. The fact that the 43-year-old had both played against and teamed up with Roger Federer was eventually brought up, eliciting a personal account from the men’s World No. 1.

Bopanna heaped rich praise on the Swiss maestro for transcending the sport through his unrivaled class and charming personality, stating that he was always courteous to any player that he ran into off-court.

The Indian then reminisced about having the chance to play cricket with Federer in the locker room area of the All England Club.

“There were many times where we were at Wimbledon in the locker room, you know, Roger and I used to play cricket,” he added while smiling. “I think there were three times we were at the warm-up area with a similar juncture because we were playing matches which were similar times on different courts, and we happened to be there.”

For those unaware, Roger Federer has had a connection with cricket since he was a youth. The Swiss picked up the game from his mother Lynette, who hails from South Africa. He has even admitted in the past that the Proteas are his favourite national cricket team.

Roger Federer faced then 26-year-old Rohan Bopanna in the first round of the 2006 Halle Open. While the Swiss had won only 7 Major titles back then, the Indian was yet to branch out into doubles.

Federer’s experience as a singles player was too much for Bopanna as he cruised to a 7-6(4), 6-2 victory. The Swiss then teamed up with Stan Wawrinka to take on Bopanna and his partner Aisam-ul Qureshi at the Indian Wells Masters eight years later. He again got the better of the Indian, this time in three sets.

Roger Federer and Rohan Bopanna joined forces the same year at the International Tennis Premier League (ITPL) exhibition event for Indian Aces. They beat the Aussie pair of Nick Kyrgios and Lleyton Hewitt in a 6-1 shootout victory.

Roger Federer faced then 26-year-old Rohan Bopanna in the first round of the 2006 Halle Open. While the Swiss had won only 7 Major titles back then, the Indian was yet to branch out into doubles.

Federer’s experience as a singles player was too much for Bopanna as he cruised to a 7-6(4), 6-2 victory. The Swiss then teamed up with Stan Wawrinka to take on Bopanna and his partner Aisam-ul Qureshi at the Indian Wells Masters eight years later. He again got the better of the Indian, this time in three sets.

Roger Federer and Rohan Bopanna joined forces the same year at the International Tennis Premier League (ITPL) exhibition event for Indian Aces. They beat the Aussie pair of Nick Kyrgios and Lleyton Hewitt in a 6-1 shootout victory.