Tennis star Rohan Bopanna, who is set to be crowned world number one in the doubles format, was on Thursday selected for the prestigious Padma Shri honour by the government along with six other athletes including veteran squash player Joshna Chinappa.
Padma Shri is fourth highest civilian honour after Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan and Padma Bhushan. Padma Shri is given for distinguished service in any field.
Bopanna has been a consistent performer and will be oldest world number one when new rankings will be issued on Monday.
Bopanna has the opportunity to win his first ever men’s doubles major title on Saturday when he takes court with partner Matthew Ebden to compete in the Australian Open final.
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Bopanna, 43, is only the fourth Indian to win a Grand Slam trophy, a mixed doubles title he won with Canadian partner Gabriela Dabrowski at the French Open in 2017.
The 37-year-old Joshna has won multiple medals at Asian Games and two-time CWG medallist. She has also won four medals at World Championships in the doubles, including a gold in 2022.
Other athletes, who have been selected for the honour are hockey player Harbinder Singh and Uday Deshpande, who is a practitioner of Mallakhmab, an indigenous sport.
Archer Purima Mahtao, the 1998 CWG silver medallist and also coach of Indian team at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, para badminton coach Gaurav Khanna, para swimmer Satendra Singh Lohia are the athletes who will be receive the honour for their achievements and contribution to Indian sports.
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