Tennis is one of the more popular sports in India other than cricket and hockey. India has been represented by numerous tennis players at all the levels of the game. The game became much popular after the Indian player Mahesh Bhupathi won the first Grand Slam title for the country.
Top Tennis Players
The game has been much popular even before that and continues to gain popularity as more and more players win laurels for the country at the international level. The following is the list of the Top 5 Tennis Players from India.
Mahesh Bhupathi:
He is one of the pioneers for the game of tennis in India. He was the first Indian to win a Grand Slam when he won the tournament in 1997. He is known as one of the top Doubles player in the world winning various prestigious international titles such as the Wimbledon, French Open, and the US Open. He also represented India in multiple sports meets such as the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, Afro-Asian games and many others, winning various medals for the country.
Sania Mirza:
Sania Mirza is a legend for Indian Tennis. She is one of the world’s best tennis players and has remained as the Rank 1 in the Doubles Discipline. She has won 6 Grand Slam titles in the career. She retired from singles in 2013 and was ranked as the Rank 1 by the WTA. She has won India a total of 14 medals (6 gold medals) in the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and the Afro-Asian games. She has been a real role model for many girls who aspire to become competent tennis players and bring laurels to the country.
Leander Paes:
Leander Paes is considered as one of the best players in the game’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles category having won Grand Slam titles in both of them. He is one of the most successful tennis players in India and has received a lot of awards for his contribution towards the game. He has been awarded the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna and the Arjuna Award for his achievements and contributions towards the sport. He is the first Indian and the only tennis to represent the country at the Olympics for Seven Consecutive Tournaments from 1992 to 2016.
Ramanathan Krishnan:
Ramanathan Krishnan was one of the top tennis players in the world during his career in the 1960’s. He was the first Asian player to win the Boy’s Singles title at the Wimbledon when he was just 17 years old. He reached the finals of the Wimbledon tournament twice in his career and also reached the rank of World Number 6 in the Lance Tingay’s rankings. For his contribution to the sport at the International level, he has received the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, and the Arjuna Award.
Yuki Bhambri:
Yuki Bhambri at a young age of 17 won the Junior Australian Open in 2009 becoming the first Indian to have won the tournament and the 4th to win a Junior Grand Slam tournament. He was the first Indian to win the Orange Bowl tournament at the age of 16. He has represented India in various international sports tournaments including the Asian Games, Youth Olympics and the Commonwealth Youth Games winning 2 silver medals and 3 bronze medals.