Indian tennis on the decline; steps needed for resurgence

As the world awaits anxiously for the Wimbledon final on July 13, it is with a sense of shock and disbelief for an Indian fan to witness that not even one singles player could make it to the main draw this time.

- HARVINDER AHUJA

We had the likes of Ramanathan Krishnan who made it to the semifinals of the 'Holy Grail' in tennis, twice in 1960-61. Vijay Amritraj was also a two-time quarter-finalist; and Ramesh Krishnan made the last eight in 1986.

From those heady days to these plummeting depths, Indian tennis seems to be getting worse by the day. There has been a steady and sharp decline during the last five years, in particular.

We were the best in Asia, and the peak of performances came from the sixties to the early 2000. Ramanathan Krishnan, in the 1960s, is the only Indian to have entered the semifinals of the Wimbledon on two occasions. Thereafter, Vijay Amritraj was a four-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist, who rose to No. 16 in the ATP rankings.

Ramesh Krishnan won eight ATP singles titles and was ranked World No. 23. Then, it was Leander Paes who broke the glass ceiling when he won a bronze medal in singles at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996.

Fast forward to 2025. Sumit Nagal, the top Indian tennis player, is ranked 165 in the world. The other prominent Indians in tennis arena are Mukund Sasikumar (456), Aryan Shah (471) and Karan Singh (506). These rankings convey the sad story.