Registered with the Registrar of Newspapers for India under R.N.I 53640/91
Vol. XXXI No. 4, June 1-16, 2021
An icon of Indian Tennis
by V.K. Parthasarathy
Ramesh and Harry Hopman.
1987 was a memorable year for Indian tennis. India reached the Davis Cup finals after beating Australia, the defending champions. The first four matches between India and Australia were shared equally. All eyes were glued to the final match, the decider. It was between the home advantaged Wally Masur and India’s top ranked player Ramesh Krishnan.
Ramesh was carrying the weight of India’s expectations on his shoulders as he went into the match against Masur. He knew that to win and take India to the finals, he had to play his best tennis ever.
Ramesh went on to play the most memorable match in his illustrious tennis career and beat Masur in straight sets to take India to the Davis Cup finals against Sweden. The match saw him displaying all his skills on the court, taught by his three mentors: his grandfather, T.K. Ramanathan, his father, Ramanathan Krishnan, and Harry Hopman, the famous Australian player and coach. Ramesh recalls this as “the one single match in my career that is etched in my memory, and also my proudest moment.”
Interestingly enough, Ramesh’s match against Masur was similar to his father’s semi-final match against Brazil in 1966, played in Calcutta. Ramnathan Krishnan won the 5th and deciding match against Thomaz Koch to take India to the finals against Australia.
Another moment that Ramesh cherishes: he led India to a 3-2 win against France in a Davis Cup quarter final in 1993, on a specially laid court in the Roman arena of the ancient French town of Frejus. He won the 5th and deciding match to take India to the semi-finals.
Ramesh joined the ATP ranks in 1977, when the likes of Borg, McEnroe and Connors captured the imagination of all the upcoming players in the world. Tennis was becoming a hugely popular sport and money was pouring in from sponsors. Tennis was also highly competitive and grueling for players and it required great discipline, hard work and mental strength for them to survive and excel in the circuit.
Ramesh won the French and Wimbledon junior titles in 1979 and went on to become a top 50 player in the world. He says that to remain a top ranked player, he played 25 to 30 tournaments and Davis Cup ties across the world every year. He went on to have a long career in professional tennis which showed his resilience, ability and spirit in an extremely competitive environment. He is one of the three Indian tennis players who have had a highly successful singles career in world tennis. The other two are Ramanathan Krishnan and Vijay Amritraj.
Ramesh had an exquisite game that he inherited from his father and his range of strokes and court craft were a delight to watch. His court manners were impeccable and both his game and sportsmanship were highly respected by fellow tennis professionals.
Ramesh’s professional tennis career spanned 13 years, from 1979 to 1993. He won 8 professional titles and was a quarter finalist once in Wimbledon, and twice in the US Open. His best years were between 1981 and 1989, when he finished in the top 50, with a career – high ranking of 23. He has beaten greats like Mats Wilander, Pat Cash and Jimmy Connors, all Grand Slam champions.
Ramesh was coached by his grandfather before his father took over, travelling with him both as a coach and sparring partner and sometimes even as a doubles partner. In 1977, he started training with Harry Hopman in Florida. Apart from tennis, Hopman encouraged his players to train with athletes for fitness. In 1985, after Hopman passed away, Ramesh started training with Roy Emerson, an Australian great. Both Hopman and Emerson believed in sound preparation and physical fitness. Ramesh also trained with Fred Stolle, under whom he practiced with greats like Connors and McEnroe. Ramesh’s contemporaries included tennis legends that he admired such as Borg, McEnroe, Connors, Lendl, Wilander, Becker, Edberg, Agassi, and Sampras.
Ramesh initially enjoyed the grueling circuit. It was exciting, travelling all over the world, joined by his wife Priya. However, towards the end of his career, with Priya occupied with their two daughters, Gayatri and Nandita, he found the circuit tougher. In 1992, he partnered with Leander Paes and reached the quarterfinals of the Olympic Games in Barcelona. In 1993, he retired from the professional tour.
Ramesh received the Arjuna Award in 1980 and the Padma Shree in 1998.
Ramesh was born and brought up in Chennai. His school was Vidya Mandir and college RKM Vivekananda. He lives in Chennai and spends his time playing tennis, keeping fit, running a business, and practicing with upcoming youngsters, imparting his great knowledge of the game to them.
The author V.K. Parthasarathy, passed away last fortnight. He was one of the first students of T.K. Ramanathan in the 1950s and a doubles partner of Ramanathan Krishnan in tournaments in India and Pakistan in 1961-62. May he rest in peace. (See tribute article — Remembering V.K. Parthasarathy.)
