Wimbledon 2025 marks exactly 10 years since the Indians lifted the trophy in the championship. In 2015, Sania Mirza and Leander Paes each won the Mixed and Men’s Doubles title at Martina Hingis, while Sumit Nagal won the Junior Boys Doubles title Vietnam partner Lý Ho Aàng Nam.
All three doubles titles were considered huge in Indian tennis, as singles results were not usually outstanding at the highest level. Picking has been a small number in the slam since then and is completely absent at Wimbledon.
Last week, the Indians had an unforgettable excursion at the Grass Court of the Championship – Sumit Nagal, the only senior singles entrant to lose in the first round of qualifying, was knocked out in the first round of men’s doubles.
These results appear to be the standard for the course in the current context of Indian tennis. But as Indian tennis legend and Hall of Fame Vijay Amritraj points out, it wasn’t always the case. There was a time when India was marking Wimbledon in singles. Amritraj played 16 championships and reached the quarterfinals twice. Back in the 1960s, Ramanathan Krishnan not only sowed No. 4, but also two consecutive semi-finals.
Amritraj believes that Indian tennis needs to focus on singles success.
“The most important thing is to have a commitment towards pursuing a career from players and your work ethic first,” Amritraj said in a media day exchange with Jiostar. “There’s no alternative to hard work. Yes, you can overcome a lack of talent with extra work, but you can’t overcome your work with extra talent.”
“There are no players in the top 100… Until you get more players in the top 100 and 50’s like Italy, you can’t compete in the world group of the Davis Cup or become a challenger in the tournament. (Jannik) Sinner, (Novak) Jjokovic, (Aryna) Sabalenka.
The top-ranked Indians of the current singles are Sumit Nagal from World No. 296 and Shrivalli Bhamidipaty from World No. 322.
The 71-year-old advocated for his first step in changing this: effort and ethics. As someone who is still involved in Indian sports today, as president of the Tamil Nadu Tennis Association, he has a unique perspective as both a player and an administrator.
“To be honest, there’s very little to be able to do. Looking at the different countries, working so there’s no tomorrow is a very individualistic aspect. There are two very important aspects here.
“I’m talking about trying to get to the top 100 or top 50. I’m talking about being actually one of the best in the world (title), so I can be so much more competitive in tournaments. I might not even win a Grand Slam, but it’s certainly about competing at the highest level.
He shared his own experiences of playing on the big stage that day. “The most important thing is to focus on where we are in singles. I posted a photo on Instagram a few days ago, and it was the 40th anniversary of the victory over Yannick Noah a year ago at Wimbledon Centre Court.
It wasn’t that teenage Sania Mirza played Svetlanakuznetsova on centre court in the second round in 2005 and lost. The gap in 20 years is also severe.
“We have always been the best country in Asia with long shots, especially in the Davis Cup, not today. …I think we have to revamp all of that to see how 5-10 players can ultimately be in the top 100.”
According to Amritraj, the key remains effort and work ethic. “Starting the game, playing a Grand Slam and winning. In the end, if you’re doing enough and working hard enough, you’re talented enough to exploit your potential and get there with a work ethic that transcends everything else. That’s the only success in tennis.”