# Tennis in India

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

## 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 (Pakistan, 1885); Bengal Lawn Tennis Championship at Calcutta (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).
The history of tennis in India goes back a long way. In the 1880s, the British 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 Mohammed Sleem, 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 and 1929, India beat, among others, France, Romania, Holland, Belgium, Spain and Greece. Top Indian players like Saleem, the 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 Lall, SP Misra, Jaidip Mukerjea 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 Mukerjea beat Newcombe 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) and US Open (twice).
The 1990s saw the rise of Leander Paes who won the bronze medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics. In 1997, Mahesh Bhupathi became India's first ever grand slam winner when he won the mixed doubles at French Open. Paes partnered with Bhupati to reach the finals of all four grand slams in 1999, winning two. In the 2000s and 2010s, playing separately or together, Paes and Bhupati won several grand slam doubles and mixed doubles tournaments.
The 2000s saw India's first WTA tournament winner Sania Mirza. Mirza also won a number of grand slam titles in doubles in the late 2000s and 2010s.
India's last 2010s grand slam win came in 2017 when Rohan Bopanna won the mixed doubles title at French Open. At the end of 2010s, Prajnesh Gunneswaran was the only Indian men's singles player in the top 100. In 2021 Ankita Raina became the 2nd woman from India to win a WTA title and enter into top 100 doubles rankings. India's latest grand slam win came in 2024 with Rohan Bopanna winning the men's doubles title at Australian Open.
In February 2024, Sumit Nagal made his top 100 debut becoming the tenth Indian tennis player to reach the Top 100, which he reached by defeating Luca Nardi in the final of the Challenger in Chennai.

## Medal table

| Competition | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| Olympic Games | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Davis Cup | 0 | 3 | 5 | 8 |
| Commonwealth Games | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Asian Games | 10 | 7 | 17 | 34 |
| Total | 11 | 11 | 25 | 47 |
* Updated till 5 August 2024

## Current rankings
### Women's singles

| # | Player | World Rank |
| 1 | Ankita Raina | 294 |
| 2 | Sahaja Yamalapalli | 302 |
| 3 | Shrivalli Bhamidipaty | 312 |
| 4 | Vaidehi Chaudhari | 411 |
| 5 | Rutuja Bhosale | 556 |
| 6 | Vaishnavi Adkar | 616 |
| 7 | Maaya Rajeshwaran | 645 |
| 8 | Riya Bhatia | 648 |
| 8 | Zeel Desai | 687 |
| 10 | Akanksha Nitture | 838 |
| 11 | Tanisha Kashyap | 893 |

### Men's singles

| # | Player | World Rank |
| 1 | Sumit Nagal | 93 |
| 2 | Ramkumar Ramanathan | 308 |
| 3 | Mukund Sasikumar | 367 |
| 4 | Karan Singh | 502 |

### Women's doubles

| # | Player | World Rank |
| 1 | Prarthana Thombare | 141 |
| 2 | Rutuja Bhosale | 207 |
| 3 | Ankita Raina | 235 |
| 5 | Vasanti Shinde | 266 |

### Men's doubles

| # | Player | World Rank |
| 1 | Rohan Bopanna | 8 |
| 2 | Yuki Bhambri | 44 |
| 3 | Sriram Balaji | 61 |
| 4 | Rithvik Choudary Bollipalli | 75 |
| 5 | Arjun Kadhe | 76 |
Source: Tennis Explorer

## Highest ranked players
### Top 100 Ranked Players

The list include Indian players who have had a ranking inside the ATP or WTA top 100. The rankings were introduced in 1973 (men) and 1975 (women).

#### Men's Singles

| Player | Ranking | Ranking | Date reached top 100 | Date reached highest ranking | ATP Tour | ATP Tour | ATP Tour |
| Player | High | Current | Date reached top 100 | Date reached highest ranking | Turned Pro | Retired | Titles |
| Vijay Amritraj | 18 | N/A | 1973, 23 August | 1980, 20 October | 1970 | 1993 | 15 |
| Ramesh Krishnan | 23 | N/A | 1979, 21 May | 1985, 28 January | 1976 | 1993 | 8 |
| Somdev Devvarman | 62 | N/A | 2010, 2 August | 2011, 25 July | 2002 | 2016 | 0 |
| Sumit Nagal | 68 | 83 | 2024, 15 July | 2024, 15 July | 2013 | | 0 |
| Sashi Menon | 71 | N/A | 1975, 16 September | 1975, 21 October | 1970 | 1985 | 0 |
| Leander Paes | 73 | N/A | 1997, 8 September | 1998, 24 October | 1990 | 2008 | 1 |
| Anand Amritraj | 74 | N/A | 1973, 26 September | 1974, 6 November | 1968 | 1990 | 0 |
| Prajnesh Gunneswaran | 75 | N/A | 2019, 11 February | 2019, 22 April | 2007 | | 0 |
| Yuki Bhambri | 83 | N/A | 2015, 19 October | 2018, 16 April | 2007 | | 0 |
| Jasjit Singh | 89 | N/A | 1973, 26 November | 1974, 3 June | 1965 | 1979 | 0 |

#### Women's Singles

| Player | Ranking | Ranking | Date reached top 100 | Date reached highest ranking | WTA Tour | WTA Tour | WTA Tour |
| Player | High | Current | Date reached top 100 | Date reached highest ranking | Turned Pro | Retired | Titles |
| Sania Mirza | 27 | N/A | 2005, 14 February | 2007, 27 August | 2003 | 2013 | 1 |

## Notable performances at Olympics

| Year | Event | Player | Result |
| 1924 |
| 1924 | Men's singles | Sydney Jacob | Quarter-finals |
| 1924 | Men's doubles | Syed Mohammad Hadi Donald Rutnam | Quarter-finals |
| 1992 |
| 1992 | Men's doubles | Leander Paes Ramesh Krishnan | Quarter-finals |
| 1996 |
| 1996 | Men's singles | Leander Paes | |
| 2004 |
| 2004 | Men's doubles | Leander Paes Mahesh Bhupathi | 4th |
| 2008 |
| 2008 | Men's doubles | Leander Paes Mahesh Bhupathi | Quarter-finals |
| 2012 |
| 2012 | Mixed doubles | Leander Paes Sania Mirza | Quarter-finals |
| 2016 |
| 2016 | Mixed doubles | Rohan Bopanna Sania Mirza | 4th |

## 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 girls' 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 | Mahesh Bhupathi Rika Hiraki | Patrick Galbraith Lisa Raymond | 6–4, 6–1 |
| Runner-up | 1998 | Wimbledon | Grass | Mahesh Bhupathi Mirjana Lučić | Serena Williams Max Mirnyi | 4–6, 4–6 |
| Winner | 1999 | US Open | Hard | Mahesh Bhupathi Ai Sugiyama | Donald Johnson Kimberly Po | 6–4, 6–4 |
| Winner | 1999 | Wimbledon | Grass | Leander Paes Lisa Raymond | Anna Kournikova Jonas Björkman | 6–4, 3–6, 6–3 |
| Runner-up | 2001 | US Open | Hard | Leander Paes Lisa Raymond | Rennae Stubbs Todd Woodbridge | 6–4, 5–7, 6–7 $^{(9–11)}$ |
| Winner | 2002 | Wimbledon (2) | Grass | Mahesh Bhupathi Elena Likhovtseva | Daniela Hantuchová Kevin Ullyett | 6–2, 7–5 |
| Winner | 2003 | Australian Open | Hard | Leander Paes Martina Navratilova | Eleni Daniilidou Todd Woodbridge | 6–4, 7–5 |
| Runner-up | 2003 | French Open | Clay | Mahesh Bhupathi Elena Likhovtseva | Lisa Raymond Mike Bryan | 3–6, 4–6 |
| Winner | 2003 | Wimbledon (3) | Grass | Leander Paes Martina Navratilova | Anastasia Rodionova Andy Ram | 6–3, 6–3 |
| Runner-up | 2004 | Australian Open | Hard | Leander Paes Martina Navratilova | Elena Bovina Nenad Zimonjić | 6–1, 7–6 |
| Runner-up | 2005 | French Open | Clay | Leander Paes Martina Navratilova | Daniela Hantuchová Fabrice Santoro | 3–6, 6–3, 6–2 |
| Winner | 2005 | Wimbledon (4) | Grass | Mahesh Bhupathi Mary Pierce | Tatiana Perebiynis Paul Hanley | 6–4, 6–2 |
| Winner | 2005 | US Open (2) | Hard | Mahesh Bhupathi Daniela Hantuchová | Katarina Srebotnik Nenad Zimonjić | 6–4, 6–2 |
| Winner | 2006 | Australian Open (2) | Hard | Mahesh Bhupathi Martina Hingis | Elena Likhovtseva Daniel Nestor | 6–3, 6–3 |
| Runner-up | 2007 | US Open | Hard | Leander Paes Meghann Shaughnessy | Victoria Azarenka Max Mirnyi | 6–4, 7–6$^{(8–6)}$ |
| Runner-up | 2008 | Australian Open | Hard | Mahesh Bhupathi Sania Mirza | Sun Tiantian Nenad Zimonjić | 6–7$^{(4–7)}$, 4–6 |
| Winner | 2008 | US Open (3) | Hard | Leander Paes Cara Black | Liezel Huber Jamie Murray | 7–6, 6–4 |
| Winner | 2009 | Australian Open (3) | Hard | Mahesh Bhupathi Sania Mirza | Nathalie Dechy Andy Ram | 6–3, 6–1 |
| Runner-up | 2009 | Wimbledon | Grass | Leander Paes Cara Black | Anna-Lena Grönefeld Mark Knowles | 7–5, 6–3 |
| Runner-up | 2009 | US Open | Hard | Leander Paes Cara Black | Carly Gullickson Travis Parrot | 6–2, 6–4 |
| Winner | 2010 | Australian Open (4) | Hard | Leander Paes Cara Black | Ekaterina Makarova Jaroslav Levinský | 7–5, 6–3 |
| Winner | 2010 | Wimbledon (5) | Grass | Leander Paes Cara Black | Lisa Raymond Wesley Moodie | 6–4, 7–6 |
| Runner-up | 2011 | Wimbledon | Grass | Mahesh Bhupathi Elena Vesnina | Iveta Benešová Jürgen Melzer | 3–6, 2–6 |
| Runner-up | 2012 | Australian Open | Hard | Leander Paes Elena Vesnina | Bethanie Mattek-Sands Horia Tecău | 3–6, 7–5, [3–10] |
| Winner | 2012 | French Open (2) | Clay | Mahesh Bhupathi Sania Mirza | Klaudia Jans-Ignacik Santiago González | 7–6$^{(7–3)}$, 6–1 |
| Runner-up | 2012 | Wimbledon | Grass | Leander Paes Elena Vesnina | Lisa Raymond Mike Bryan | 3–6, 7–5, 4–6 |
| Runner-up | 2014 | Australian Open | Hard | Horia Tecău Sania Mirza | Kristina Mladenovic Daniel Nestor | 3–6, 2–6 |
| Winner | 2014 | US Open | Hard | Bruno Soares Sania Mirza | Abigail Spears Santiago González | 6–1, 2–6, [11–9] |
| Winner | 2015 | Australian Open (3) | Hard | Leander Paes Martina Hingis | Kristina Mladenovic Daniel Nestor | 6–4, 6–3 |
| Winner | 2015 | Wimbledon (4) | Grass | Leander Paes Martina Hingis | Alexander Peya Tímea Babos | 6–1, 6–1 |
| Winner | 2017 | French Open | Clay | Gabriela Dabrowski Rohan Bopanna | Anna-Lena Grönefeld Robert Farah | 2–6, 6–2, [12–10] |
| Runner up | 2018 | Australian Open | Hard | Tímea Babos Rohan Bopanna | Gabriela Dabrowski Mate Pavić | 6–2, 4–6, [9–11] |
| Runner up | 2023 | Australian Open | Hard | Rohan Bopanna Sania Mirza | Luisa Stefani Rafael Matos | 6–7$^{(2–7)}$, 2–6 |
Men's doubles
| Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Players | Opponents in the final | Score in the final |
| Runner-up | 1999 | Australian Open | Hard | Leander Paes Mahesh Bhupathi | Jonas Björkman Patrick Rafter | 3–6, 6–4, 4–6, 7–6$^{(12–10)}$, 4–6 |
| Winner | 1999 | French Open | Clay | Leander Paes Mahesh Bhupathi | Goran Ivanišević Jeff Tarango | 6–2, 7–5 |
| Winner | 1999 | Wimbledon | Grass | Leander Paes Mahesh Bhupathi | Paul Haarhuis Jared Palmer | 6–7, 6–3, 6–4, 7–6 |
| Runner-up | 1999 | US Open | Hard | Leander Paes Mahesh Bhupathi | Sébastien Lareau Alex O'Brien | 6–7, 4–6 |
| Winner | 2001 | French Open (2) | Clay | Leander Paes Mahesh Bhupathi | Petr Pála Pavel Vízner | 7–6, 6–3 |
| Winner | 2002 | US Open | Hard | Mahesh Bhupathi Max Mirnyi | Jiří Novák Radek Štěpánek | 6–3, 3–6, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 2003 | Wimbledon | Grass | Mahesh Bhupathi Max Mirnyi | Jonas Björkman Todd Woodbridge | 6–3, 3–6, 6–7$^{(4–7)}$, 3–6 |
| Runner-up | 2004 | US Open | Hard | Leander Paes David Rikl | Mark Knowles Daniel Nestor | 3–6, 3–6 |
| Runner-up | 2006 | Australian Open | Hard | Leander Paes Martin Damm | Bob Bryan Mike Bryan | 6–4, 3–6, 4–6 |
| Winner | 2006 | US Open (2) | Hard | Leander Paes Martin Damm | Jonas Björkman Max Mirnyi | 6–7$^{(5–7)}$, 6–4, 6–3 |
| Runner-up | 2008 | US Open | Hard | Leander Paes Lukáš Dlouhý | Bob Bryan Mike Bryan | 6–7$^{(5–7)}$, 6–7$^{(10–12)}$ |
| Runner-up | 2009 | Australian Open | Hard | Mahesh Bhupathi Mark Knowles | Bob Bryan Mike Bryan | 6–2, 5–7, 0–6 |
| Winner | 2009 | French Open (3) | Clay | Leander Paes Lukáš Dlouhý | Wesley Moodie Dick Norman | 3–6, 6–3, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 2009 | US Open | Hard | Mahesh Bhupathi Mark Knowles | Lukáš Dlouhý Leander Paes | 6–3, 3–6, 2–6 |
| Winner | 2009 | US Open (3) | Hard | Leander Paes Lukáš Dlouhý | Mahesh Bhupathi Mark Knowles | 3–6, 6–3, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 2010 | French Open | Clay | Leander Paes Lukáš Dlouhý | Nenad Zimonjić Daniel Nestor | 5–7, 2–6 |
| Runner-up | 2010 | US Open | Hard | Rohan Bopanna Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi | Bob Bryan Mike Bryan | 6–7$^{(5–7)}$, 6–7$^{(4–7)}$ |
| Runner-up | 2011 | Australian Open | Hard | Leander Paes Mahesh Bhupathi | Bob Bryan Mike Bryan | 3–6, 4–6 |
| Winner | 2012 | Australian Open | Hard | Leander Paes Radek Štěpánek | Bob Bryan Mike Bryan | 7–6$^{(7–1)}$, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 2012 | US Open | Hard | Leander Paes Radek Štěpánek | Bob Bryan Mike Bryan | 3–6, 4–6 |
| Winner | 2013 | US Open (4) | Hard | Leander Paes Radek Štěpánek | Alexander Peya Bruno Soares | 6–1, 6–3 |
| Winner | 2024 | Australian Open | Hard | Rohan Bopanna Matthew Ebden | Simone Bolelli Andrea Vavassori | 7–6$^{(7–0)}$, 7–5 |
Women's doubles
| Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Players | Opponents in the final | Score in the final |
| Runner-up | 2011 | French Open | Clay | Sania Mirza Elena Vesnina | Andrea Hlaváčková Lucie Hradecká | 4–6, 3–6 |
| Winner | 2015 | Wimbledon | Grass | Sania Mirza Martina Hingis | Ekaterina Makarova Elena Vesnina | 5–7, 7–6$^{(7–4)}$, 7–5 |
| Winner | 2015 | US Open | Hard | Sania Mirza Martina Hingis | Casey Dellacqua Yaroslava Shvedova | 6–3, 6–3 |
| Winner | 2016 | Australian Open | Hard | Sania Mirza Martina Hingis | Andrea Hlaváčková Lucie Hradecká | 7–6$^{(7–1)}$, 6–3 |

## National award recipients

| Year | Recipient | Award | Gender |
| 1996–1997 | Leander Paes | Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna | Male |
| 2015 | Sania Mirza | Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna | Female |
| 1961 | Ramanathan Krishnan | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 1962 | Naresh Kumar | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 1966 | Jaidip Mukerjea | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 1967 | Premjit Lall | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 1974 | Vijay Amritraj | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 1978–1979 | Nirupama Mankad | Arjuna Award | Female |
| 1980–1981 | Ramesh Krishnan | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 1985 | Anand Amritraj | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 1990 | Leander Paes | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 1995 | Mahesh Bhupathi | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 1996 | Gaurav Natekar | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 1997 | Asif Ismail | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 2000 | Akhtar Ali $^+$ | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 2001 | Sandeep Kirtane | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 2004 | Sania Mirza | Arjuna Award | Female |
| 2011 | Somdev Devvarman | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 2017 | Saketh Myneni | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 2018 | Rohan Bopanna | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 2020 | Divij Sharan | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 2021 | Ankita Raina | Arjuna Award | Female |
| 2014 | Zeeshan Ali | Dhyan Chand Award | Male |
| 2015 | Shiv Prakash Mishra | Dhyan Chand Award | Male |
| 2019 | Nitin Kirtane | Dhyan Chand Award | Male |
| 2020 | Nandan P. Bal | Dhyan Chand Award | Male |
| 2020 | Naresh Kumar $^+$ | Dronacharya Award | Male |
Key :
* + Indicates a Lifetime contribution honour