Ramanathan Krishnan
The first Asian player to win the Wimbledon boys singles title in 1954, he beat Ashley Cooper in the final. Ramanathan Krishnan should be given a lot of credit to put India on the international stage in tennis. Though, he never made it big on the international stage, the Tamil Nadu born Indian tennis player was consistent in Grand Slam tournaments. He also was an essential player in India coming second in the 1959 Davis Cup.
Mahesh Bhupathi
Along with Leander Paes, both of the players were partners in crime during most of the latter’s early doubles exploits. Although, Bhupathi has a unique record in the game. He is the first Indian to seal a Grand Slam win after he won the 1997 French Open mixed doubles title with Japan’s Rika Hiraki. In the 2004 Olympics in Athens, along with Leander Paes, the duo reached the semi-finals but were left behind to earn a bronze against the Croatian’s Mario Ancic and Ivan Ljubicic.
Leander Paes
Leander is the first Indian to win the singles bronze medal at the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games after beating Brazilian Fernando Meligeni. He had a complete milestone of a career in singles tennis. Moreover, Paes is regarded as one of the most successful tennis players in world tennis. He is the candidate of eight men’s doubles Grand Slam titles – Wimbledon (1999), French Open (1999, 2001 and 2009), Australian Open (2012) and US Open (2006, 2009 and 2013). In 1999, Paes was the No. 1 ranked player in doubles in the world.
Sania Mirza
With her emergence, a lot changed for the good. Sania Mirza became the first Indian woman singles player to win a WTA title after triumphing at the Hyderabad Open in 2005. She is till date the only woman to win a WTA singles event. With Mahesh Bhupathi, she clinched the 2009 Australian Open and the French Open as well. Besides all her Grand Slams, she also has 42 WTA doubles title to her name. In India, we can probably say she is the face of women’s tennis.
Vijay Amritraj
A 15 time winner on the ATP Tour as a singles player, Vijay Amritraj also had several landmarks and milestones in front of his name, winning over John McEnroe in 1984 at the Cincinnati Masters and a US Open triumph over Bjorn Borg. Along with brother, Anand Amritraj, Vijay won 13 ATP titles and reached the semi-finals of the 1976 Wimbledon, where they lost to eventual champions. The brothers were an integral part in helping India reach the finals of the 1974 and 1987 Davis Cup.
