Hyderabad: Tennis is a fast-paced sport. A sport which is largely played by the elite. Though the sport has not yet earned sizeable popularity in the country, Indians, right from the open era have been regular participants in big-ticket tournaments. There have been many consistent performers who achieved tremendous success in international tennis.
Here, in this article, we discuss five Indian Tennis legends who enjoyed huge success in international tennis and reformed the game back home.
Ramanathan Krishnan
He is undoubtedly the most successful Indian tennis player in men's singles history. Ramanathan Krishnan enjoyed success not only in India but also in the world during the 50s and 60s. He remains the only Indian to have reached men's singles semifinal of a Grand Slam. He played Wimbledon semifinal not once but twice in 1960 and 1961. Ramanathan also played the quarterfinals of the French Open in 1962.
Ramanathan also brought success for India in Davis Cup. He was a vital cog of the Indian team which reached the Challenge Round of the Davis Cup in 1966. He also reached the Inter-Zonal final with the team on five other occasions, in 1956, 1959, 1962, 1963 and 1968. India surprised West Germany in the inter-zonal semi-finals with Krishnan beating Wilhelm Bungert, who had gone to play Wimbledon final a year later after this defeat.
Ramanathan is also the only Indian till date to have burst into the top 10 of world rankings, a list which was at that time maintained by a renowned English sports journalist Lance Tingay. Ramanathan received the Arjuna award in 1961, the Padma Shri in 1962 and the Padma Bhushan in 1967.
Sania Mirza
She is an obvious name in this list. In women's tennis, she is the biggest name in India. At the beginning of her career, Sania Mirza was a singles player. But she switched to doubles in 2013. This decision helped her to win a tremendous success.
Sania, a former world No. 1 doubles player, has won six Grand Slam titles in her career. On 13 April 2015, she was ranked by WTA as World No. 1 doubles player.
Between 2003 and 2013, she was ranked by WTA as India's No. 1 tennis players in both singles and doubles. During her singles career, she defeated players like Svetlana Kuznetsova, Vera Zvonareva, and Marion Bartoli, as well as former world No. 1s Martina Hingis, Dinara Safina, and Victoria Azarenka. Her highest singles career ranking is 27.
The Hyderabad born tennis player over the years established herself as by far the most successful Indian women's tennis player ever and one of the highest-paid and most high-profile athletes in the country.
In 2020, post his return to the game after becoming a mother, she won Hobart Open partnering with Nadia Kichenok.
Vijay Amritraj
He belongs to a family who worships tennis. Amongst the famous Amritraj brothers who had become a household name in India, Vijay Amritraj was the most successful tennis player. He never won a Grand Slam title but reached a career highest ranking of 16 after his 14th (of 18) ATP Tour title win. He also won 14 ATP Tour doubles titles. In 1976 Wimbledon, Amritraj played semifinal in men's doubles.
In 1983, the Padma Shri award was on conferred on him for his service in tennis. He was also part of Indian Davis Cup team which reached finals in 1974 and 1987, losing to South Africa and Sweden, respectively. Post his retirement he became a commentator and tried his hand in action. He appeared in Hollywood movies such as James Bond: Octopussy and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.
Mahesh Bhupathi
He is another big name from India in doubles. When we talk about Leander Peas' success Mahesh Bhupathi's name will automatically come into play. Mahesh Bhupathi turned professional tennis player in mid-nineties and very soon made a name as India's one of the most successful tennis players in doubles winning 12 Grand Slam titles. He was the first Indian to win a Grand Slam, 1997 Australian Open mixed doubles title.
He reached his career-best ranking of No. 1 in men's doubles on 26 April 1999. After taking retirement from the game he had started the International Premier Tennis League in November 2014.
Leander Paes
When Leander Paes made his debut as a naive 17-year-old in the Davis Cup in 1990, the world was a different place. The Berlin Wall had been brought down just a year ago. India was still away from revolutionary economic reforms while mobile phones were unheard of in India.
Now put yourself in a time machine three decades forward and you have probably seen Paes stomping around the court for the final time as he has started his walk towards a golden sunset. He is now a 46-year-old well-groomed man. With 18 Grand Slam doubles titles, a record number of Davis Cup wins and representing the country in seven Olympic Games he is the real legend of Indian tennis. He is also India's only Olympic medallist in tennis. He won a bronze medal in men's singles in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.
For his service in the tennis, Paes has been awarded the Padma Bhusan in 2014, Padma Shri in 2001, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna in 1996-97 and Arjuna award in 1990.
