Vijay Amritraj has been the jack of many trades. Whether it’s tennis or Hollywood, he has been at the forefront of paving the way for generations to come. In a candid chat with Society, the beaming tennis legend talks about his disappointment with the current tennis scene in India, his aspirations for his son and a lot more…
He has been one of the pioneers of Indian tennis, who almost made it to the final of a Grand Slam, back in 1973 – a feat not achieved by any Indian tennis player in Singles. Known for his ‘tall-dark-handsome’ looks and his winning partnership with brother Anand Amritraj, India’s foremost tennis player Vijay Amritraj looked as fit as ever when we met him in the plush lobby of a city’s five star recently.
We are ushered into an antechamber where the tennis great is dressed simply in a pale red bush shirt paired with grey pants. He beckons us with a huge smile and settles to start the conversation with his thoughts on the current tennis scene in the country.
Amritraj rues the fact that tennis has gone downhill in India. After players like Leander Paes, Sania Mirza, Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna to some extent, no new talent is coming forward except for a Yuki Bhambri and my son Prakash Amritraj, who are doing rather well. Why is tennis in such a dismal state in the country, we ask? “The younger talent needs to be groomed and given support to make a mark in the international arena and that is not happening, as there are very few tennis academies in India. Good, talented players should be put through a programme,” he opines.
This story is from the April 2018 edition of SOCIETY.
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This story is from the April 2018 edition of SOCIETY.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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