NEW DELHI: Indian tennis stalwart Rohan Bopanna - one of only four Indians to have captured a Grand Slam title - announced his retirement from professional tennis on Saturday, concluding a remarkable career that spanned over two decades on the ATP Tour.

The 45-year-old's final outing came at the Paris Masters, where he teamed up with Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik but bowed out in the opening round earlier this week.

In an emotional statement titled "A Goodbye... But Not The End," Bopanna said he was "officially hanging up racquet," reflecting on a journey that took him from his hometown of Coorg to the biggest arenas in world tennis.

"Starting my journey from a small town of Coorg in India, chopping blocks of wood to strengthen my serve, jogging through coffee estates to build stamina and chasing dreams on cracked courts to standing under the lights of the biggest arenas in the world-it all feels surreal," Bopanna wrote.

Bopanna had drawn the curtain on his India career after the Paris Olympics last year. He had earlier announced his retirement from Davis Cup in 2023, featuring in his final tie against Morocco in Lucknow.