After cricket, the second most popular sport in India is Tennis. You will see many fans of this sport across India, and the sport is gaining even more popularity since many coaching institutes have come up in recent times. Tennis is quite an old sport as it was introduced by the Britishers in India. At present, many local tournaments are organized regularly. These include tournaments like Bengal Lawn Tennis, Punjab Lawn Tennis and All India Tennis. India has also consistently performed in International tournaments like Commonwealth Games, Davis Cup and Asian Games.
Steps are being taken to generate more tennis players. There are still many players who were able to create a place for themselves in history. They made India proud by showcasing their skills to various international players. So, who are the best tennis players in India of All Time? We have shared the list with you, and you can scroll down to check out these names one by one.
List of Top Tennis Players in India
1. Leander Paes
The best Indian tennis player to date is Leander Paes. He was born in 1973 and holds a record of winning the maximum number of Davis Cups. He won the title 18 times during his career. These titles are split between 10 mixed doubles and eight doubles. Leander Paes became the man to hold Wimbledon Titles in three different decades, winning the titles in 1999, 2003, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2013 and 2015. No one else has won the Wimbledon title for three consecutive decades. Leander Paes also won Australian Opens four times, the French Open three times, and the US Opens 3 times. Leander Paes retired from the game in 2021 but is still the game’s ambassador.
- Also Read: Pros and Cons of Playing Tennis
2. Sania Mirza
Next on the list is a very well-recognized Indian player Sania Mirza. She was born in 1986 in Bombay and has been the best. She ranked the number 1 female tennis player for doubles in India. She retained the rank from 2003 till 2013. Her overall ranking was 27 during the same time. Sania Mirza won 18 Grand Slams in doubles and mixed doubles. She also won 8 medals in Asian Games. It is known that she is the only Indian woman to win the Women’s Tennis Association title. Sania Mirza won a total of 46 titles during her carrier. She retired from the game in 2013. She is presently living in Dubai with her family.
3. Mahesh Bhupati
At number 3, we have Mahesh Bhupati, and we are sure that each of you knows this name. Mahesh Bhupati was born in 1974 in Chennai, and he was the first Indian to win Australian Open. Mahesh Bhupati is known to be one of the 8 players to have ever won a grand slam in mixed doubles. During his active years, Mahesh Bhupati won 52 titles, and he also won several medals in Commonwealth Games as well as Asian Games. In 1999, he was at the top of the global charts with Rank 1. Mahesh Bhupati often paired with legendary Leander Paes, and the game was always a treat to watch. Mahesh is also the founder of the International Premier Tennis League.
4. Vijay Amritraj
Vijay Amritraj was born in Chennai in 1953 and is also one of the most successful tennis players. Later in the list, you will find Anand Amritraj, who is the brother of Vijay Amritraj. Vijay Amritraj reached the ranking of 18 in Singles in 1980. During his career, he won 14 titles in doubles and 15 titles in single. On many occasions, Vijay Amritraj reached the US Opens and Wimbledon quarter-finals. In addition, he also made it to the semi-finals of Wimbledon in 1976 in the doubles category. In 1974 and 1987, Vijay Amritraj reached the Davis Cup Finals. As of today, Vijay Amritraj has a multimedia company and works as a sports commentator.
5. Ramanathan Krishnan
Ramanathan Krishnan was born in 1937 in Chennai and was at the peak of his career in the 1950s and 1960s. During the peak of his career, Ramanathan Krishnan was at rank three on global charts. It is known that Ramanathan started his career in 1953, and he reached the quarter-finals of US Opens in 1957 and 1959. He has also been successful in Wimbledon as well as Davis Cup. Later in 1968, Ramanathan Krishnan won the title of Canadian Opens in the doubles category. During his active years, he won 55 titles. Ramanathan retired in 1975 and has a tennis coaching centre today.
6. Rohan Bopanna
Rohan Bopanna was born in 1980 in Banglore and has been one of the best players in Indian history. He takes a strong stand for Indian tennis players and calls for equality in the game. During his active years, he won 22 titles; his highest rank was 213 in singles. He made it big in doubles, as his global rank was 3. Rohan Bopanna also reached the finals of all four major opens in 2007 and 2006. Rohan Bopanna made it big in 2017 when he won the French Open in the doubles category. He also represented India in the 2016 Olympics and received a gold medal for his game in the 2018 Asian Games.
7. Somdev Devvarman
Somdev is a tennis player from Guwahati, and he was born in 1985. He went to the University of Virginia to complete his education, and his game was very popular even when he was in college. During college, he made it to the finals thrice in the NCAA. Somdev had an impressive record in college, and he registered 44 wins against one loss. This record is yet to be broken. In 2008, Somdev progressed his game and played four major opens. In the 2010 Commonwealth Games, Somdev won a gold medal. During the same year, he won two gold and one bronze medal in Asian Games. The highest rank of Somdev was 62 in 2011. At present, he is working with Nensel Tennis Academy in Germany as a tennis coach.
8. Ramesh Krishnan
Ramesh Krishnan is a popular name in Indian tennis history. He started his career in 1978 and won the junior singles championships at French Open and Wimbledon. He also won the title of ATP Singles Championship in 1981 in Manila. During his active years, Ramesh Krishnan won 7 titles, with the highest ranking of 23. Ramesh Krishnan represented India in the 1993 Olympics, and he has also played US Opens. While playing at the US Opens, he reached the quarter-finals twice. Ramesh Krishnan retired from the game in 1993, and since then, he has been running a tennis coaching academy in Chennai.
9. Anand Amritraj
Next on our list is Anand Amritraj. He was born in 1951 in Madras and was involved in Tennis with his brother Vijay Anand. In 1974, they reached the finals of the Davis Cup, and they played against South Africa. He once again reached the finals of the Davis Cup in 1987. He is from an era when Tennis was not very popular in India. During his active years, Anand Amritraj won 7 single titles across Asian and Indian circuits. He also won 12 titles in double categories. Anand Amritraj ranked 80 globally in 1984. Anand’s son and daughter-in-law are also involved in Tennis.
10. Pranesh Gunneswaran
Prajesh was born in Chennai in 1989, and he had been at the peak of his career in 2019. He started his career at a very young age, and by the time he was at the junior level, he already won a national title. When he played in the age group of 12 to 18, he got a national title every year. Pranesh also got a scholarship from Harvard University because of his game, but he declined the scholarship to join the University of Tennessee since it had a higher NCAA rating. In 2018, he received a bronze medal in a single division of the Asian Games. He has also played in games like French Opens, US Opens, Wimbledon and Australian Open.
Final Take
India has made great progress in sports, and Indians continue to make their country proud in different sports. We are sure that with the government infusing more money into sports, India will certainly do better in Tennis and other sports. You will see more young talent coming forward in sports and making it big in their domains. If you love to watch Tennis, then do let us know who is your favourite player. You can add the names in the comment section and share your thoughts about the future of Tennis in India.
Passionate sports content writer, Rocky delves into the world of athletics with a keen eye for detail. With a background in journalism, he transforms moments on the field into compelling narratives that resonate with readers.
