Pure sportsmanship from Rohan Bopanna! 👏 In the deciding set, down *2-4 0-15, he concedes the point to Ram/Salisbury because he touched the ball with his arm, but no one had noticed.
"Proud of you Rohan!": India superstar Rohan Bopanna takes sportsmanship to the next level by conceding point in US Open doubles final
Tennis NewsSaturday, 09 September 2023 at 15:06
Rohan Bopanna admitted to the umpire that the ball had touched his arm during the men's doubles US Open final, thus conceding a point to his opponents.
Sixth seed Bopanna and his doubles partner Matthew Ebden only dropped one set on their way to the final of the New York major. However, they ultimately finished as runners-up to Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury after losing in three sets.
Nevertheless, a wholesome incident occurred during the final set of the match. The Indian player had won the first set with Ebden 6-2, before a 6-3 comeback from Ram and Salisbury forced a decider.
Bopanna praised for sportsmanship
Bopanna and Ebden were trailing by a break 2-4 when the ball brushed the former's arm. The umpire didn't notice this though, and the point went to the pair. However, in a display of sportsmanship, Bopanna admitted what had happened and told the umpire.
They then waited for confirmation from the umpire as they asked Bopanna if he wanted to give the point to the other team.
"Obviously," he replied "I touched [the ball] so obviously I'm giving the point, right?"
The crowd had a huge positive reaction to Bopanna's honesty, cheering loudly and giving him a standing ovation. Sky Sports commentators also voiced their approval of the 43-year-old's action.
"Wow, what a fair play from Bopanna," said one, while another called it "magnificent sportsmanship."
Fans on social media have also added their praise, with the Twitter account Relevant Tennis calling the situation "pure sportsmanship."
"Pure sportsmanship from Rohan Bopanna!
In the deciding set, down *2-4 0-15, he concedes the point to Ram/Salisbury because he touched the ball with his arm, but no one had noticed," they wrote.
"We need more of such spirit. Proud of you Rohan!" added another fan.
"Bopanna is really a treasure for tennis, always has been," commented another.
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