Rohan Bopanna and Joshna Chinappa shortlisted for Padma Shri

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Rohan Bopanna has been shortlisted for the prestigious Padma Shri award two days after the 43-year-old tennis star was announced to become the Men's Doubles World No. 1. Bopanna and Matthew Ebden will be playing the Australian Open final soon.

Apart from Rohan Bopanna, five other athletes were also shortlisted for the Padma Shri award by the government. The list prominently includes veteran squash star Joshna Chinappa, who is a five-time Asian Games medallist.

Other athletes, who have been selected for the honour are hockey player Harbinder Singh and Mallakhamb practitioner Uday Deshpande. Archer Purima Mahtao, the 1998 CWG silver medallist and also coach of the Indian team at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, para badminton coach Gaurav Khanna, and para swimmer Satendra Singh Lohia are the athletes who will receive the honour for their achievements and contribution to Indian sports.

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.

Joshna Chinappa, 37, is a two-time medallist at the Commonwealth Games. In the doubles division at the World Championships, she has also won four medals, including a gold in 2022.

Bopanna, meanwhile, is gunning for his first men's doubles title and is only the fourth Indian to win a Grand Slam trophy. He won a mixed doubles title as he bagged the French Open 2017 with Canadian partner Gabriela Dabrowski. Rohan Bopanna has been a consistent performer and will be the oldest world number one when new rankings are issued on Monday.