Tennis in India

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Tennis in India
Leander Paes at the 2008 Cincinnati Masters.jpg
Country India
Governing body All India Tennis Association
National team [[India national team|India]]

Tennis enjoys a considerable following in India, although it is limited to urban areas but still it is counted among the most popular sports in India.[1] India has produced a number of tennis players, who have achieved international recognition and have made their presence in some of the top tennis tournaments and grand slams.[2] All India Tennis Association (AITA) established in 1920, is the governing body of tennis in India and is a member of the Asian Tennis Federation.[3] India Davis Cup team is the most successful team of Asia in Davis Cup, who has finished as runners-up 3 times.[4]

History

Tennis has been a popular sport in India since around the 1880s when the British Army and Civilian Officers brought the game to India. Soon after regular tournaments like the 'Punjab Lawn tennis Championship' at Lahore (Now in Pakistan) (1885); 'Bengal Lawn Tennis Championship' at Calcutta (now Kolkata) (1887) and the 'All India Tennis Championships' at Allahabad (1910) were organised. In the history of major tournaments, India has already beaten among others France, Romania, Holland, Belgium, Spain and Greece in Davis Cup ties (1921 to 1929).[5][6]

The history of tennis in India goes back a long way. In the 1880s, the Britishers introduced the game of tennis in India during the colonial rule and soon it started gaining momentum. BK Nehru in 1905 and Sardar Nihal Singh in 1908 were later joined by M Saleem, Fayzee brothers and Jagat Mohan Lal who made it to last 16 stages at the Wimbledon. Ghaus Mohammad was the first Indian to reach the quarterfinals at Wimbledon in 1939 where he lost to American champion Bobby Riggs.

According to the All India Tennis Association, in Davis Cup ties between 1921 to 1929, India beat, among others, France, Romania, Holland, Belgium, Spain and Greece. Top Indian players like Saleem, Fayzee brothers, Cotah Ramaswamy and Krishna Prasad beat a large number of ranked European players and teams to bring glory to the nation.

In the 1960s, the sport witnessed a golden era. Ramanathan Krishnan earned his highest seeding – No. 4 in Wimbledon in 1962. In the Davis Cup, India repeatedly became the Zonal Champions. Ramanathan Krishnan, along with Premjit Lal, SP Misra, Jaidip and RK Khanna as the non-playing captain, steered India to the Cup finals in 1966. They lost the Cup but not before Krishnan and J Mukerjea beat New Combe and Tony Roche, the Wimbledon champions, (1965) in doubles.

In the 1970s, Vijay Amritraj burst onto the scene. With teammates Sashi Menon, Jasjit Singh and brother Anand Amritraj, Vijay took India to World Cup Finals for the second time in 1974. Vijay also made it to the quarterfinals of US Open in 1973 and 1981; and Wimbledon in 1973 and 1974. Ramesh Krishnan, the son of Ramanathan Krishnan, won the junior Wimbledon championship and junior French Open title in 1979 and was ranked number 1 junior in the world. He made it to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon (1986) as US Open (twice).[7]

Grand Slam Finals

In 1997 India won their first Grand Slam title at the French open, in the Mixed Doubles. Since then Indians have won Grand Slam titles in the Mixed Doubles, Men's Doubles, Women's Doubles besides Girl's Doubles events. No Indian has so far won a Grand Slam Singles title in the Men's or Women's category.

Mixed Doubles

Outcome Year Championship Surface Players Opponents in the final Score in the final
Winner 1997 French Open Clay India Mahesh Bhupathi
Japan Rika Hiraki
Patrick Galbraith
United States Lisa Raymond
6–4, 6–1
Runner-up 1998 Wimbledon Grass India Mahesh Bhupathi
Croatia Mirjana Lučić
Serena Williams
Belarus Max Mirnyi
4–6, 4–6
Winner 1999 US Open Hard India Mahesh Bhupathi
Japan Ai Sugiyama
Donald Johnson
United States Kimberly Po
6–4, 6–4
Winner 1999 Wimbledon Grass India Leander Paes
United States Lisa Raymond
Anna Kournikova
Sweden Jonas Björkman
6–4, 3–6, 6–3
Runner-up 2001 US Open Hard India Leander Paes
United States Lisa Raymond
Rennae Stubbs
Australia Todd Woodbridge
6–4, 5–7, 6–7 (9–11)
Winner 2002 Wimbledon (2) Grass India Mahesh Bhupathi
Russia Elena Likhovtseva
Daniela Hantuchová
Zimbabwe Kevin Ullyett
6–2, 7–5
Winner 2003 Australian Open Hard India Leander Paes
United States Martina Navratilova
Eleni Daniilidou
Australia Todd Woodbridge
6–4, 7–5
Runner-up 2003 French Open Clay India Mahesh Bhupathi
Russia Elena Likhovtseva
Lisa Raymond
United States Mike Bryan
3–6, 4–6
Winner 2003 Wimbledon (3) Grass India Leander Paes
United States Martina Navratilova
Anastassia Rodionova
Israel Andy Ram
6–3, 6–3
Runner-up 2004 Australian Open Hard India Leander Paes
United States Martina Navratilova
Elena Bovina
Serbia and Montenegro Nenad Zimonjić
6–1, 7–6
Runner-up 2005 French Open Clay India Leander Paes
United States Martina Navratilova
Daniela Hantuchová
France Fabrice Santoro
3–6, 6–3, 6–2
Winner 2005 Wimbledon (4) Grass India Mahesh Bhupathi
France Mary Pierce
Paul Hanley
Ukraine Tatiana Perebiynis
6–4, 6–2
Winner 2005 US Open (2) Hard India Mahesh Bhupathi
Slovakia Daniela Hantuchová
Katarina Srebotnik
Serbia Nenad Zimonjić
6–4, 6–2
Winner 2006 Australian Open (2) Hard India Mahesh Bhupathi
Switzerland Martina Hingis
Elena Likhovtseva
Canada Daniel Nestor
6–3, 6–3
Runner-up 2007 US Open Hard India Leander Paes
United States Meghann Shaughnessy
Victoria Azarenka
Belarus Max Mirnyi
6–4, 7–6(8–6)
Runner-up 2008 Australian Open Hard India Mahesh Bhupathi
India Sania Mirza
Sun Tiantian
Serbia Nenad Zimonjić
6–7(4–7), 4–6
Winner 2008 US Open (3) Hard India Leander Paes
Zimbabwe Cara Black
Liezel Huber
United Kingdom Jamie Murray
7–6, 6–4
Winner 2009 Australian Open (3) Hard India Mahesh Bhupathi
India Sania Mirza
Nathalie Dechy
Israel Andy Ram
6–3, 6–1
Runner-up 2009 Wimbledon Grass India Leander Paes
Zimbabwe Cara Black
Anna-Lena Grönefeld
The Bahamas Mark Knowles
7–5, 6–3
Runner-up 2009 US Open Hard India Leander Paes
Zimbabwe Cara Black
Carly Gullickson
United States Travis Parrot
6–2, 6–4
Winner 2010 Australian Open (4) Hard India Leander Paes
Zimbabwe Cara Black
Ekaterina Makarova
Czech Republic Jaroslav Levinský
7–5, 6–3
Winner 2010 Wimbledon (5) Grass India Leander Paes
Zimbabwe Cara Black
Lisa Raymond
South Africa Wesley Moodie
6–4, 7–6
Runner-up 2011 Wimbledon Grass India Mahesh Bhupathi
Russia Elena Vesnina
Iveta Benešová
Austria Jürgen Melzer
3–6, 2–6
Runner-up 2012 Australian Open Hard India Leander Paes
Russia Elena Vesnina
Bethanie Mattek-Sands
Romania Horia Tecău
3–6, 7–5, [3–10]
Winner 2012 French Open (2) Clay India Mahesh Bhupathi
India Sania Mirza
Klaudia Jans-Ignacik
Mexico Santiago González
7–6(7–3), 6–1
Runner-up 2012 Wimbledon Grass India Leander Paes
Russia Elena Vesnina
Lisa Raymond
United States Mike Bryan
3–6, 7–5, 4–6
Runner-up 2014 Australian Open Hard Romania Horia Tecău
India Sania Mirza
Kristina Mladenovic
Canada Daniel Nestor
3–6, 2–6
Winner 2014 US Open Hard Brazil Bruno Soares
India Sania Mirza
United States Abigail Spears
Mexico Santiago González
6–1, 2–6, [11–9]
Winner 2015 Australian Open (3) Hard India Leander Paes
Switzerland Martina Hingis
France Kristina Mladenovic
Canada Daniel Nestor
6–4, 6–3
Winner 2015 Wimbledon (4) Grass India Leander Paes
Switzerland Martina Hingis
Austria Alexander Peya
Hungary Timea Babos
6-1, 6-1

Men's Doubles

Outcome Year Championship Surface Players Opponents in the final Score in the final
Runner-up 1999 Australian Open Hard India Leander Paes
India Mahesh Bhupathi
Sweden Jonas Björkman
Australia Patrick Rafter
3–6, 6–4, 4–6, 7–6(12–10), 4–6
Winner 1999 French Open Clay India Leander Paes
India Mahesh Bhupathi
Croatia Goran Ivanišević
United States Jeff Tarango
6–2, 7–5
Winner 1999 Wimbledon Grass India Leander Paes
India Mahesh Bhupathi
Netherlands Paul Haarhuis
United States Jared Palmer
6–7, 6–3, 6–4, 7–6
Runner-up 1999 US Open Hard India Leander Paes
India Mahesh Bhupathi
Canada Sébastien Lareau
United States Alex O'Brien
6–7, 4–6
Winner 2001 French Open (2) Clay India Leander Paes
India Mahesh Bhupathi
Czech Republic Petr Pála
Czech Republic Pavel Vízner
7–6, 6–3
Winner 2002 US Open Hard India Mahesh Bhupathi
Belarus Max Mirnyi
Czech Republic Jiří Novák
Czech Republic Radek Štěpánek
6–3, 3–6, 6–4
Runner-up 2003 Wimbledon Grass India Mahesh Bhupathi
Belarus Max Mirnyi
Sweden Jonas Björkman
Australia Todd Woodbridge
6–3, 3–6, 6–7(4–7), 3–6
Runner-up 2004 US Open Hard India Leander Paes
Czech Republic David Rikl
The Bahamas Mark Knowles
Canada Daniel Nestor
3–6, 3–6
Runner-up 2006 Australian Open Hard India Leander Paes
Czech Republic Martin Damm
United States Bob Bryan
United States Mike Bryan
6–4, 3–6, 4–6
Winner 2006 US Open (2) Hard India Leander Paes
Czech Republic Martin Damm
Sweden Jonas Björkman
Belarus Max Mirnyi
6–7(5–7), 6–4, 6–3
Runner-up 2008 US Open Hard India Leander Paes
Czech Republic Lukáš Dlouhý
United States Bob Bryan
United States Mike Bryan
6–7(5–7), 6–7(10–12)
Runner-up 2009 Australian Open Hard India Mahesh Bhupathi
The Bahamas Mark Knowles
United States Bob Bryan
United States Mike Bryan
6–2, 5–7, 0–6
Winner 2009 French Open (3) Clay India Leander Paes
Czech Republic Lukáš Dlouhý
South Africa Wesley Moodie
Belgium Dick Norman
3–6, 6–3, 6–2
Runner-up 2009 US Open Hard India Mahesh Bhupathi
The Bahamas Mark Knowles
Czech Republic Lukáš Dlouhý
India Leander Paes
6–3, 3–6, 2–6
Winner 2009 US Open (3) Hard India Leander Paes
Czech Republic Lukáš Dlouhý
India Mahesh Bhupathi
The Bahamas Mark Knowles
3–6, 6–3, 6–2
Runner-up 2010 French Open Clay India Leander Paes
Czech Republic Lukáš Dlouhý
Serbia Nenad Zimonjić
Canada Daniel Nestor
5–7, 2–6
Runner-up 2011 Australian Open Hard India Leander Paes
India Mahesh Bhupathi
United States Bob Bryan
United States Mike Bryan
3–6, 4–6
Winner 2012 Australian Open Hard India Leander Paes
Czech Republic Radek Štěpánek
United States Bob Bryan
United States Mike Bryan
7–6(7–1), 6–2
Runner-up 2012 US Open Hard India Leander Paes
Czech Republic Radek Štěpánek
United States Bob Bryan
United States Mike Bryan
3–6, 4–6
Winner 2013 US Open (4) Hard India Leander Paes
Czech Republic Radek Štěpánek
Austria Alexander Peya
Brazil Bruno Soares
6–1, 6–3

Women's Doubles

Outcome Year Championship Surface Players Opponents in the final Score in the final
Runner-up 2011 French Open Clay India Sania Mirza
Russia Elena Vesnina
Czech Republic Andrea Hlaváčková
Czech Republic Lucie Hradecká
4–6, 3–6
Winner 2015 Wimbledon Grass India Sania Mirza
Switzerland Martina Hingis
Russia Ekaterina Makarova
Russia Elena Vesnina
5–7, 7–6(7–4), 7–5

Girls' Doubles

Outcome Year Championship Surface Players Opponents in Final Score in Final
Winner 2003 Wimbledon Grass India Sania Mirza
Russia Alisa Kleybanova
Czech Republic Kateřina Böhmová
Netherlands Michaëlla Krajicek
2–6, 6–3, 6–2

Boys' Doubles

Outcome Year Championship Surface Players Opponents Score
Winner 2015 Wimbledon Grass India Sumit Nagal
Vietnam Lý Hoàng Nam
United States Reilly Opelka
Japan Akira Santillan
7–6(7–4), 6–4

References

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  7. http://www.ibnlive.com/news/sports/leander-paes-and-sania-mirza-have-enriched-indian-tennis-1096134.html