Legends of Indian Tennis

Rohan's fabulous run at the US Open is a story of inspiration. He was dogged by sponsorship problems in the early part of his career, which virtually ended his singles play. Not the one to lose heart, Rohan fought his way back in doubles and is now ready to take the doubles legacy of Indian tennis forward. Prior to this US open feat, he won his first ATP doubles at Los Angeles and ATP tour title at Johannesburg.

While reading Rohan's achievement, I felt its definitely worth spending time knowing about other unsung legends of Indian Tennis who are often overshadowed by the Gods of Cricket.

The father-son duo from the land of idly-sambar

Easily the best India has ever produced, Ramanathan Krishnan became the 1st Asian player to win the Wimbledon juniors title. in 1954. At senior level, he reached the semi-finals of Wimbledon in 1960 and 1961. He received his highest seeding at Wimbledon (#4) in 1962 and was ranked world No.3 in 1960. He was a key member of the Indian team which reached the final of the Davis Cup in 1966.

Ramesh Krishnan was definitely a great player but even he would agree his father Ramanathan was greater. Ramesh reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon in 1986 and the US Open twice in 1981 and 1987.

Vijay Amritraj the combo pack (Tennis legend+James Bond actor+TV commentator)

Amritraj achieved his first significant success in singles in 1973 when he reached the quarter-final stage at two Grand Slam events.He reached his career high ranking in singles of World no. 16 in July 1980.

Lea-Hesh magic which was to replace the world beating pair of Woodies

The doubles team of Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi grew stronger in 1998 reaching the semis  of   Australian Open, French Open and US Open. In 1999, the duo reached the finals of all the 4 grand slams winning Wimbledon and French Open, thus becoming the first Indian pair to win a doubles event at a Grand slam event. This year also marked his ascent to the No. 1 ranking in the doubles.

Resume points he/we will be proud of :

Bronze medal in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics
Mixed doubles: 11 finals (6 titles, 5 runners-up)
Men's doubles: 12 finals (6 titles, 6 runners-up)
After winning the mixed doubles in Wimbledon 2010, Paes became only the second man (after Rod Laver) to win Wimbledon titles in three different decades. Take a bow to this man's perseverance!

Mahesh widely regarded amongst the best doubles players in the world with 11 Grand Slam titles to his credit.In 1997, he became the first Indian to win a Grand Slam tournament (with Rika Hiraki). His numbers are equally good.

Mixed doubles: 10 finals (7 titles, 3runners-up)
Men's doubles: 9 finals (4titles, 5 runners-up)

Sania Mania

Sania may have been engulfed by enough controversies on and off-the court, but few would ever argue about the role she played in getting Indian women's tennis a global statement. Mirza is the highest ranked female tennis player ever from India, with a career high ranking of 27 in singles and 18 in doubles. She is the first Indian player to win a WTA title.