Wimbledon 100 years feature : Greatest Indian grass court players of all time

    Here are the most influential Indian tennis players of all time who have made achievements that are nothing short of extraordinary on and off the court

    Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi after Wimbledon doubles win Image credit: PA Images Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi after Wimbledon doubles win

    Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi

    Though India has been a late bloomer compared to other countries in the field of international tennis, some great tennis players have also taken birth in India. Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi were the first duo to win a doubles Wimbledon title in 1999 by winning 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(4) against Paul Haarhuis of the Netherlands and Jared Palmer of the US. The same year, the two had also won their first grand slam, French Open. They had made it to the finals of all four grand slams in 1999 and ended up winning two of them. The duo, called 'Indian Express', won many medals, including 25 ATP titles and three grand slam titles. They still hold the record for the pair to have the maximum victories in a row.

    Ramanathan Krishnan

    Ramanathan Krishnan is another one of the oldest and greatest glass court legends of India. At 17, in 1954, he became the first Indian to win the boy's singles Wimbledon title against Ashley Cooper. The victory helped the legend qualify for men's singles the same year, and Krishnan qualified for the semi-finals in Wimbledon twice consecutively in 1960 and 1961. Born in a small village in Tamil Nadu, Krishnan is still considered one of the best Indian tennis players. 

    Sania Mirza

    Sania Mirza is another one of the greatest grasscourt players in India. One of her most remarkable victories in Wimbledon was when she won the doubles title with Martina Hingis. The duo beat Elena Vesnina and Ekaterina Makarova 5-7, 7-6(4), 7-5 to win the finals in 2015, which was their first Wimbledon victory as a team. Another reason why the 2015 victory was memorable was that this was the first time an Indian woman had won a Wimbledon doubles title. 

    Amritraj brothers

    While talking about the Indian tennis legends, leaving the Amritraj brothers out wouldn't be fair. The Amritraj brothers, Vijay Amritraj, Ashok Amritraj and Anand Amritraj, were the first Indians to play in top-flight international tours. In 1976, the two brothers, Vijay and Anand, reached the semi-finals of the Wimbledon men's doubles tournament. In 1973, Vijay Amritraj qualified for the quarter-finals of two grand slam tournaments, and this was his first success in the singles tournaments. Though there were no significant title victories, they showed the young Indian tennis players the way to international triumph.

     

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