Top Tennis Players Of India Of All Time

Tennis is a racket sport played either individually against a single opponent (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket strung with a cord to hit a hollow rubber ball covered in felt over or around a net and into the opposing court.

Posted On June 17th, 2021

Ramanathan Krishnan

Prior to the introduction of ATP rankings, Ramanathan Krishnan was ranked sixth on Lance Tingay's amateur rankings. In 1954, he became the first Asian player to win the Boys Singles title at Wimbledon. He was undefeated in the All India Championships six times and reached the finals an additional eight times. He has received the Padma Shri, Arjuna Award, and Padma Bhushan.

Vijay Amritraj

Vijay Amritraj is a veteran Indian tennis player who has won 13 doubles titles and 16 singles titles in his career. He had an eventful athletic career, having competed in the Wimbledon championships, Grand Slams, and the Indian Davis Cup. He also had a brief acting career, starring in several films and demonstrating how versatile an athlete can be. In 1983, he was awarded the Padma Shri.

Ramesh Krishnan

Ramesh Krishnan, Ramanathan Krishnan's son, continued his father's legacy by winning Wimbledon Junior in 1979. He was a key member of the Indian Davis Cup team that reached the finals in 1987. He competed in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics with Leander Paes, reaching the finals. In 2007, he was appointed captain of the Indian Davis Cup team.

Leander Paes

Leander Paes is an Indian tennis veteran who has competed in the Olympics since 1992 and is the only Indian tennis player to have won an Olympic medal. He is also excited to compete in the now-cancelled Tokyo 2020 Olympics. In the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, he competed in doubles with Ramesh Krishnan, reaching the quarterfinals. He has received the Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri, Arjuna Award, and Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna awards.

Mahesh Bhupathi

Though he is now retired, Mahesh Bhupathi is another tennis player who made history by becoming the first Indian to win a Grand Slam tournament. In 1999, he won three doubles titles with Leander Paes and a total of eight mixed doubles titles. In 2001, he was awarded the Padma Shri. He had a legendary partnership with Leander Paes, and the two had a combined career record of 303-103.

Sania Mirza

Sania Mirza is the only Indian tennis player to have won a WTA (Women's Tennis Association) championship. She has seven grand slam titles to her name and was once the World No. 1 doubles player, a position she held for 91 weeks. She began at the age of six and continued until her retirement from singles in 2013. She has received the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, Arjuna, and Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna awards. Time magazine named her one of the "50 Heroes of Asia" in October 2005.

Somdev Devvarman

Somdev Devvarman's career began in college, during his time at the University of Virginia. In the NCAA Men's Tennis Championship in 2008, he had a 44-1 win-loss record. He has competed in many tournaments, including the Davis Cup, Olympics, Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, and US Open.