Tennis India
1. Overview – Tennis in India
- Governing body: All India Tennis Association (AITA) – founded 1920, affiliated to ITF & AITF.
- India’s 1st Grand-Slam title: 1954 – Ramanathan Krishnan (Junior Wimbledon Boys’ Singles).
- India’s 1st Davis Cup final: 1966 vs. Australia (lost 1-4).
- Olympic medals: 0 (as of 2024) – Best finish: Leander-Mahesh 4th place Athens 2004.
- India has won 24 Grand-Slam titles (all in doubles/mixed-doubles) – 20 men, 4 women.
- Most Slam titles by an Indian: Leander Paes – 18 (8 men’s doubles, 10 mixed).
2. Hall of Fame – Indian Tennis Icons
| Player | Key Distinction | First/Only | Peak ATP/WTA rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ramanathan Krishnan | First Indian to reach Grand-Slam SF (Wimbledon 1960, 61) | – | World #3 amateur (1961) |
| Vijay Amritraj | 2× Wimbledon & 1× US Open QF | – | ATP #16 (1980) |
| Ramesh Krishnan | 2× junior Wimbledon + 3× Grand-Slam QF | – | ATP #23 (1985) |
| Leander Paes | 18 Grand-Slam titles; Olympic bronze 1996 | Only Indian with career Slam in mixed | Doubles #1 (1999) |
| Mahesh Bhupathi | First Indian to win Grand-Slam (1997 French Open mixed) | 12 Slam titles | Doubles #1 (1999) |
| Sania Mirza | 6 Grand-Slam doubles/mixed titles; 42 WTA doubles titles | Only Indian woman with Slam title | WTA Doubles #1 (2015) |
| Rohan Bopanna | Oldest 1st-time Slam winner (2024 Australian Open men’s doubles – age 43) | – | Doubles #1 (Apr 2024) |
3. Grand-Slam Glory – Complete List
| Year | Tournament | Event | Indian(s) | Partner / Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | French Open | Mixed doubles | Mahesh Bhupathi | Rika Hiraki (JPN) |
| 1999 | French Open | Men’s doubles | Leander Paes & Mahesh Bhupathi | beat Goran Ivanišević/Jeff Tarango |
| 1999 | Wimbledon | Mixed doubles | Leander Paes | Lisa Raymond |
| 2002 | US Open | Mixed doubles | Leander Paes | Martina Navratilova |
| 2004 | Australian Open | Mixed doubles | Sania Mirza (junior) | – |
| 2006 | Australian Open | Mixed doubles | Martina Hingis & Mahesh Bhupathi | – |
| 2009 | Australian Open | Mixed doubles | Sania Mirza & Mahesh Bhupathi | – |
| 2015 | Wimbledon | Women’s doubles | Sania Mirza & Martina Hingis | – |
| 2017 | French Open | Mixed doubles | Rohan Bopanna & Gabriela Dabrowski | – |
| 2024 | Australian Open | Men’s doubles | Rohan Bopanna & Matthew Ebden | – |
Total tally: 24 (Men 20, Women 4).
4. Davis Cup & Billie Jean King Cup (Fed Cup)
| Parameter | Men (Davis Cup) | Women (BJK Cup) |
|---|---|---|
| First year played | 1921 | 1972 |
| Best result | Runners-up 1966, 1974, 1987 | Asia/Oceania Group-I (2018) |
| Most rubbers won | Leander Paes – 93 (45-31 singles, 48-21 doubles) | Sania Mirza – 27 |
| Longest tie | 2010 vs. Brazil – 4 h 2 min (Paes-Bhupathi win) | – |
| 2023 Group | World Group-II | Asia/Oceania Group-I |
5. Olympics & Asian Games
Olympics
- 1996 Atlanta: Leander Paes – Bronze (men’s singles) – only Indian tennis medal.
- 2004 Athens: Paes-Bhupathi 4th place (men’s doubles).
- 2020 Tokyo: Sumit Nagpal 1st Indian singles competitor since 1996.
Asian Games
- 1958 Tokyo: First tennis gold – Ramanathan Krishnan (men’s singles).
- 2018 Jakarta: India 1 gold (Rohan Bopanna-Divij Sharan men’s doubles), 1 bronze (mixed).
- Total tennis medals: 24 (8 gold) as of 2022.
6. Important Dates at a Glance
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 23 Nov 1920 | AITA formed in Lahore (then India). |
| 1954 | Ramanathan Krishnan wins Junior Wimbledon. |
| 15 Sep 1996 | Leander Paes wins Olympic bronze – date observed as “Tennis Day” by AITA. |
| 8 Jun 1997 | Mahesh Bhupathi becomes 1st Indian Grand-Slam champion (French mixed). |
| 6 Dec 2010 | India defeat Brazil 3-2 in Davis Cup – longest live rubber 4 h 2 min. |
| 12 Apr 2015 | Sania Mirza attains WTA doubles #1. |
| 29 Jan 2024 | Rohan Bopanna (43) oldest 1st-time Australian Open champion. |
7. Quick-Reference Tables
ATP/WTA Tournament hosted in India
| Tournament | City | Surface | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maharashtra Open (ATP 250) | Pune (earlier Chennai) | Hard | 1996-2023 |
| WTA Indian Open | Mumbai/Pune/New Delhi | Hard | 1973-2008, revived 2012-2015 |
| Champions Tennis League | Multi-city | Hard | 2014-2016 (exhibition) |
National Awards
| Award | Player | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Arjuna | Ramanathan Krishnan | 1961 |
| Arjuna | Leander Paes | 1990 |
| Khel Ratna | Leander Paes | 1996-97 |
| Padma Shri | Sania Mirza | 2006 |
| Padma Bhushan | Leander Paes | 2014 |
8. One-Liner Revision Facts
- AITA headquarters: New Delhi.
- Only Indian to beat Roger Federer in a completed match: Somdev Devvarman (2009 Chennai).
- Longest Davis Cup doubles rubber: 4 h 2 min – India vs. Brazil 2010.
- India’s 1st Fed Cup win outside Asia: vs. Indonesia 2005.
- Youngest Indian to play Davis Cup: Leander Paes – 16 yrs 158 days (1990).
- Only Indian pair to hold year-end ATP #1 doubles ranking: Paes-Bhupathi (1999).
- Sania Mirza’s 42 WTA doubles titles – most by any Asian woman.
- Rohan Bopanna’s “Golden” year: 2024 Aus Open + Paris Masters + Doubles #1.
- 1st Indian to win ATP singles title: Vijay Amritraj – 1976 Chennai.
- India’s Fed Cup captain (2023): Vishal Uppal.
9. Practice MCQs (Railway Pattern)
Q1. Who was the first Indian to win a Grand-Slam tennis tournament?
A. Leander Paes B. Ramanathan Krishnan C. Mahesh Bhupathi D. Sania Mirza
Q2. In which year did Leander Paes win the Olympic bronze medal?
A. 1992 B. 1996 C. 2000 D. 2004
Q3. The All India Tennis Association (AITA) was formed in
A. 1916 B. 1920 C. 1924 D. 1932
Q4. Which Indian pair first won the French Open men’s doubles title?
A. Paes-Bhupathi B. Paes-Sania C. Bhupathi-Rohan D. Amritraj brothers
Q5. Who among the following became the first Indian woman to win a Grand-Slam title?
A. Nirupama Vaidyanathan B. Sania Mirza C. Ankita Raina D. Karman Thandi
Q6. How many Grand-Slam titles has Leander Paes won in his career?
A. 12 B. 14 C. 16 D. 18
Q7. India’s best Davis Cup finish is
A. Winner B. Runner-up C. Semi-finalist D. Quarter-finalist
Q8. The first Indian to reach a senior Wimbledon semi-final was
A. Vijay Amritraj B. Ramesh Krishnan C. Ramanathan Krishnan D. Jaidip Mukherjea
Q9. Rohan Bopanna won his maiden Grand-Slam men’s doubles title in
A. 2013 B. 2017 C. 2021 D. 2024
Q10. Sania Mirza attained the WTA doubles world ranking of
A. 2 B. 1 C. 3 D. 4
Q11. Which city currently hosts the ATP Maharashtra Open?
A. Mumbai B. Chennai C. Pune D. New Delhi
Q12. The longest Davis Cup doubles rubber (4 h 2 min) was played between India and
A. Australia B. Brazil C. Spain D. Czech Republic
Q13. Who was the captain of the Indian Davis Cup team in 2023?
A. Anand Amritraj B. Mahesh Bhupathi C. Leander Paes D. Rohit Rajpal
Q14. India has won how many tennis medals at the Asian Games as of 2022?
A. 12 B. 18 C. 24 D. 30
Q15. The first Indian to win the Junior Wimbledon boys’ singles title was
A. Ramesh Krishnan B. Ramanathan Krishnan C. Leander Paes D. Somdev Devvarman
Q16. Which Indian won the Arjuna Award for tennis in 1961?
A. Ramanathan Krishnan B. Jaidip Mukherjea C. Naresh Kumar D. Vijay Amritraj
BETA
