Legendary Indian tennis players, Leander Paes and Vijay Amritraj, the heroes of many a historic triumph transcending generations, on Sunday became the first two exponents of the sport from Asia to be inducted into the International Hall of Fame.
Paes, 51, whose list of achievements include the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games men’s singles bronze, eight men’s doubles and 10 mixed doubles grand slam crowns besides several famed Davis Cup victories, was given the rare honour in the ‘Player Category’.
Vijay Amritraj, 70, reached the men’s singles quarterfinals at the Wimbledon and US Open twice each besides guiding India to the Davis Cup finals twice -- in 1974 and 1987. At his peak, he was ranked No.18 in the world in singles and No. 23 in doubles.
He along with Richard Evans was inducted into the Hall of fame in the ‘Contributor Category’.
“Paes was inducted in the Player Category, while Amritraj and Evans were recognised as a part of the Contributor Category: honoring visionary leaders, pioneers, or individuals who have made a consummate impact on the sport. The three inductees brings the total to 267 legends from 28 nations represented in the Hall of Fame,” said the International Tennis Hall of Fame statement.
Paes spent 37 weeks at No. 1 in the world rankings in doubles, and won 54 doubles titles on tour.
He is one of only three men in tennis history to capture a career Grand Slam in both disciplines. Paes, who hails from Kolkata, competed in seven straight Olympic Games between Barcelona, 1992 to Rio, 2016, the most in tennis history.
Reflecting on his journey, Paes said, “A few of us are very blessed to be born into legacy. Today, sitting here at the International Tennis Hall of Fame, I wouldn’t have ever dreamt it, playing street cricket and street football barefoot back in Calcutta.
“I am so excited to share this with all of you, representing every young boy and girl around the planet who has a dream in their mind, passion in their hearts and fire in their belly,” said Paes, who partnered Mahesh Bhupathi in men’s doubles and took Indian tennis to great heights before their acrimonious split.
