Wimbledon 2025 marks precisely 10 years since an Indian lifted a trophy on the Championships. Again in 2015, Sania Mirza and Leander Paes gained the combined and males’s doubles titles respectively with Martina Hingis whereas Sumit Nagal gained the junior boys doubles title Vietnamese accomplice Lý Hoàng Nam.
All three doubles titles have been thought of big for Indian tennis again then as a result of singles outcomes had not sometimes been standout on the highest degree. The pickings have been slim at Slams since, and fully non-existent at Wimbledon.
This final week, Indians have had forgettable outings on the grass courts of the Championships – Sumit Nagal, the one senior singles entrant misplaced within the first spherical of qualifying, Rohan Bopanna was knocked out within the males’s doubles first spherical, N Sriram Balaji and Rithvik Choudary Bollipalli within the second and Yuki Bhambri, the final standing Indian, within the third.
These outcomes appear par for the course within the present context of Indian tennis. However that was not at all times the case, as Indian tennis legend and Corridor of famer Vijay Amritraj factors out. There was a time, albeit very way back, that India had made a mark at Wimbledon in singles. Amritraj performed 16 Championships and reached the quarterfinal twice. again within the Nineteen Sixties, Ramanathan Krishnan not solely held a seeding of No 4, but additionally made two straight semi-finals.
Amritraj believes that Indian tennis must give attention to singles success, for which the present technology gamers must step up and work tougher.
“Crucial factor is to first have dedication from the gamers in the direction of pursuing a profession in it and what’s your work ethic,” Amritraj mentioned throughout an interplay on Media Day with JioStar. “There isn’t a substitute for onerous work. Sure, you possibly can overcome lack of expertise with additional work, however you possibly can’t overcome much less work with additional expertise.”
“We should not have any gamers within the prime 100… until you get a bunch of gamers within the prime 100 and 50s like Italy has finished, you are not going to have the ability to compete within the World Group of Davis Cup or be a challenger in any tournaments. As a matter of truth, we’ve not had anybody performing effectively on the Championships for fairly a while. And after I say any of this, it is at all times concerning the singles. We’re at all times requested about [Carlos] Alcaraz, [Jannik] Sinner, [Novak] Djokovic, [Aryna] Sabalenka. All the things is concerning the singles,” he added.
The highest ranked Indians in singles proper now are Sumit Nagal, at world No 296, and Shrivalli Bhamidipaty, at world No 322. These are very regarding numbers.
The 71-year-old insisted on onerous work and ethic being step one in the direction of altering this. As somebody who’s concerned with the game in India even immediately because the president of the Tamil Nadu Tennis Affiliation, he has a singular perspective as each participant and administrator.
“There are little or no associations can do, to be sincere. In case you take a look at quite a lot of international locations, it’s a very individualistic facet in sport to have the ability to work like there isn’t any tomorrow. There are two essential facets right here – in the event you work 110% consistently and shield your physique, then there’s a 100% likelihood that you’ll make it. If you don’t work 110%, then there’s completely zero likelihood of creating it,” he defined.
“I am speaking about making an attempt to make it to the highest 100 or the highest 50. I am not speaking about probably profitable [titles] I am speaking about truly being probably the greatest on the planet, to have the ability to have a really robust aggressive edge in tournaments. Perhaps not even profitable a Grand Slam however actually competing on the highest degree. That is a very powerful factor. Immediately, we’re consistently making an attempt to get to the qualifying, and this was not the case 30, 40 years in the past. That’s the largest concern.”
He recounted his personal expertise of taking part in on the massive levels again within the day. “Crucial factor is to give attention to the place we’re in singles. I posted an image on Instagram a number of days in the past, it was the fortieth anniversary of my beating Yannick Noah on the Centre Court docket at Wimbledon when he had gained the French Championships a 12 months earlier than. That was the final time there was an Indian on the singles court docket, singles at Wimbledon on the Centre Court docket.”
It wasn’t, as a teenage Sania Mirza performed and misplaced to Svetlana Kuznetsova on Centre Court docket within the second spherical in 2005. The 20-year hole can also be stark.
“We used to at all times be the very best nation in Asia by an extended shot, particularly in Davis Cup. And immediately we aren’t…. I believe we’ve got to revamp all of that to see how we are able to have complete bunch of 5-10 gamers finally get into the highest 100.”
The important thing stays onerous work and work ethic, in keeping with Amritraj. “You begin the sport to play and win a Grand Slam finally, in the event you’re ok and you’re employed onerous sufficient, are proficient sufficient to have the ability to exploit your potential and get there with a piece ethic that transcends every thing else. That’s the solely success in tennis.”