Vijay Amritraj is arguably one of the world’s most recognisable sports celebrities India has ever produced. From taking India to the Davis Cup Finals twice to playing a role in the James Bond film, he has multiple contributions in a lifetime that have added to his celebrity status!
Shams Ur Rehman Alavi
India has produced umpteen great sports personalities from hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand to chess champion Vishwanathan Anand, but in the history of Indian sports, there is one man who stands tall due to his sporting achievements as well as charisma.
The man is Vijay Amritraj. He made his mark in a highly competitive sport that’s played in almost all the countries of the world. He emerged as a star and dazzled everybody.
Remember, it was Amritraj who brought passion and glamour to Indian sports. Yet, his immense contribution in Indian sports is often overlooked.
He is the man who beat the world champions, from arguably the greatest tennis player Rod Laver to Bjorn Borg. A sportsman who glittered in a game played in 200 countries, he defeated players of the calibre of Jimmy Connors and also competed against John McEnroe. He captured attention of the world.
On his day, he could beat the top ranked player and a week later may even lose to a lower ranked player. But that was Vijay Amritraj, an affable personality, who ruled hearts of the tennis lovers. His grit, energy, passion and the sporting spirit were unmatched.
Frankly, those who have seen Vijay Amritraj play in his prime consider themselves lucky to have seen his charisma, his style and artistry.
In a country that had produced few international stars before him, he got in the elite club, played with heroes, was ranked in the top 20 and could defeat any player on his day.
When Bud Collins termed Amritraj, Borg and Connors as A, B and C of tennis the statement got huge attention. It was reported in World media and many were astonished but there was no reason for surprise.
After all the six feet 4 inch tall, handsome player from Chennai [then Madras] had brought a new style with his display of tennis skills and technique as well as his unique personality and the presence on the court.
It was in early 1970s that Vijay Amritraj appeared on the international scene and remained active till the latter part of the next decade as well—a long career and a journey that gave immense thrill to sports lovers.
Imagine, he was still playing world class tennis in 1987. A 35-year-old veteran used all his experience to take India to the final of Davis Cup in 1987 and defeated players much higher in Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) ranking.
Undoubtedly credit for his tremendous success goes to the parents, Robert and Maggie, who took interest in shaping the career of their sons—Ashok, Vijay and Anand, all of whom played tennis at the international level.
Under Rama Rao’s tutelage and much later, the coaching of Pancho Gonzales, that his skills were honed and the ‘Boy from Madras’ went on to play the Grand slam tournaments.
In1973, Amritraj reached the third round of US Open and faced Rod Laver, who had won all the four grand slam tournaments in a year, twice.
Though Laver was now a veteran but the victory symbolised Amritraj’s arrival on the scene.
In a stunning performance, he defeated Laver. Vijay became a sensation and there were headlines in newspapers in the US. He eventually reached the quarter finals.
The money came and so did the Volvo car as a prize, it was stardom for Vijay now. Then came, the Grand Prix championship at Hong Kong. He won the tournament, his first singles title. Now ‘Vijay Amritraj’ was becoming a household name in India.
Old timers recall the heavy custom duty that made it tough for Vijay to bring the car to India. The then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi intervened as the issue came up.
While Amritraj was hopping from one country to other, playing in tournaments, though his elbow issue had affected him for a while, his brother Anand was also playing across the world.
In doubles, Anand and Vijay were now a force. By 1980, Vijay Amritraj had already won over a dozen singles titles and more came later. Also, he won doubles titles with Anand and others.
It was indeed golden era of tennis. By mid 1980s, Bjorn Borg had lost interest in the game.
The feisty John McEnroe and gritty Jimmy Connors were around along with the ever-fighting, Ivan Lendl and new players like Boris Becker, Mats Wilander emerging in the tennis world.
Among Indian players, Ramesh Krishnan had carved a niche for himself. However, an ageing Vijay showed his class in the Davis Cup once again and created history.
His performance against players far ahead of him in ranking, gave an indication that how he put in enormous effort and all his energy into the game when representing Indian team unlike individual games in the tournaments.
People were glued to Doordarshan when Vijay Amritraj was playing against Martin Jaite. Amritraj had lost the first two sets and in the third set also, he was behind [0-3], and was serving when something sparked all of a sudden.
There was a renewed vigour and a flash of brilliance. He came back into the game and destroyed Jaite, winning the game and the set, and later the last two sets.
The score card in the end showed his supremacy and his resilience. Sports writer Shireesh Nadkarni says that for a long time Amritraj hadn’t played tennis before this tie and now ranked 100, he was playing against Jaite who ranked 17 in the world.
“It appeared that Amritraj had given up after losing two sets. But then he might have realized that a loss to Argentina would lead to India facing Israel and given India’s lack of diplomatic relations (in those days), the match would not take place and the team would lose the opportunity to move ahead in the Davis Cup”, Nadkarni further mentions.
“Thereafter, from the third set, he played magnificent tennis, dominating the game completely……. that game revived memories of the great Ramanathan Krishnan who had won a similar match in Davis Cup nearly twenty years ago,” he adds.
Vijay’s Himalayan efforts eventually worked and the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi decided that the team would be allowed to play with Israel though in that era, India used to avoid any sports contact and had once lost a similar opportunity due to its decision to decline playing against it.
India ultimately reached Davis Cup final and though lost to Sweden that had players like former world number one Mats Wilander and other top players.
Still it was a big achievement, as Vijay Amritraj, Anand and Ramesh Krishnan had together formed a combination that defeated much stronger teams like Australia and Argentina or Israel, to reach final of the 72 nation cup.
One of the greatest sporting stars of the country, Vijay Amritraj had become an international celebrity. Alongside tennis, he also made a mark in other fields.
He was honoured as UN messenger for peace. He played a part in James Bond movie. Besides, he got Padma award and was felicitated by International Tennis Hall of Fame for his contribution to the game. He also got numerous other awards.
But the fact that he played international tennis at the top level, participating in Wimbledon for over a decade and half, apart from beating legends like Bjorn Borg, McEnroe and Connors, the joy that he brought to Indian spectators, makes him a living legend and one of the greatest sporting heroes of India.
Of tennis & beyond: A recap
- Singles ranking of 16: tour and Davis Cup wins over Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl, John Newcombe and Stan Smith.
- Led India to two Davis Cup finals in 1974 and 1987. He was part of the Indian Davis Cup team for 19 years.
- Addressed the United Nations in May 1988, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Special Committee against apartheid in South Africa.
- Appointed as the United Nations Messenger of Peace on February 9, 2001 by Secretary General Kofi Anan.
- Awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India, for enhancing India’s image overseas.
- President of the ATP Tour Player Council from 1989 through 1992 and again in 1994.
- Awarded the prestigious Pierre Coubertin Award by the United Nations in Paris in November 1988 and is the only Asian to receive the honor.
- Founded The Vijay Amritraj Foundation in 2006, an international charity serving the destitute of India.
- Lead anchor and host, since 1991, for “ESPN Star Sports” broadcasting to the world’s largest sporting audience. He has covered Wimbledon, the US Open, Australian Open, and other ATP Tour events, along with the PGA Masters.
- Awarded the prestigious key to the city of Los Angeles by Mayor Tom Bradley in 1978.
