Arjuna Awardees in Lawn Tennis: Complete List of India's Honoured Champions

 The Arjuna Award, officially known as the Arjuna Awards for Outstanding Performance in Sports and Games, is the second-highest sporting honour in India, preceded only by the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. Named after Arjuna, the legendary warrior from the ancient Sanskrit epic Mahabharata, the award symbolizes the values of hard work, dedication, determination, and concentration. Presented annually by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, it recognizes sportspersons who have demonstrated exceptional performances and contributed significantly to their respective disciplines.

 

Growth of Lawn Tennis in India

Lawn tennis was introduced to India during the 1880s by British army and civilian officers. Since then, the sport has witnessed remarkable growth, supported by the efforts of the All India Tennis Association (AITA). Over the decades, Indian tennis has produced several accomplished players who have excelled at Grand Slam tournaments, Davis Cup competitions, and international championships. Among them, Mahesh Bhupathi remains one of India's most celebrated tennis players, becoming the country's first Grand Slam champion. 

The Arjuna Award has played an important role in recognizing the achievements of India's leading tennis players. Ramanathan Krishnan became the first lawn tennis player to receive the honour in 1961. Since then, numerous players have been recognized for their outstanding performances, reflecting India's steady progress in the sport. 

List of Arjuna Awardees in Lawn Tennis

The following lawn tennis players have received the Arjuna Award for their exceptional contribution to Indian tennis: 

Ramanathan Krishnan (1961)

Naresh Kumar (1962)

Jaidip Mukerjea (1966)

Premjit Lall (1967)

Vijay Amritraj (1974)

Nirupama Mankad (1978–1979)

Ramesh Krishnan (1980–1981)

Anand Amritraj (1985)

Leander Paes (1990)

Mahesh Bhupathi (1995)

Gaurav Natekar (1996)

Asif Ismail (1997)

Akhtar Ali (2000)

Sania Mirza (2004)

Somdev Devvarman (2011)

Saketh Myneni (2017)

Rohan Bopanna (2018)

Divij Sharan (2020)

Ankita Raina (2021)

Notable Contributions of Indian Tennis Stars 

Several Arjuna Award recipients have played a transformative role in elevating Indian tennis on the global stage. Ramanathan Krishnan was among the pioneers who established India's presence in international tennis through his remarkable Davis Cup performances. Vijay Amritraj earned worldwide recognition for his success on the ATP Tour and his contributions to Indian tennis. 

Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi formed one of the most successful doubles partnerships in the history of Indian tennis, winning multiple Grand Slam titles and inspiring a new generation of players. Sania Mirza broke several barriers in women's tennis, becoming India's most successful female tennis player and achieving the world No. 1 ranking in women's doubles. More recently, players such as Rohan Bopanna, Divij Sharan, and Ankita Raina have continued to represent India with distinction at international events. 

The Arjuna Awards recognizes excellence, perseverance, and sporting achievement, and its recipients in lawn tennis have significantly contributed to India's sporting legacy. From Ramanathan Krishnan, the first recipient, to contemporary stars like Ankita Raina, these athletes have consistently demonstrated exceptional talent and commitment. Their achievements have strengthened India's reputation in international tennis while inspiring future generations to pursue excellence in the sport. As Indian tennis continues to evolve, the Arjuna Award remains a prestigious recognition of the nation's finest players and their lasting contribution to the game.

 

India Tennis Academies

  

India Tennis Academies are the schools where the students have the scope to train themselves under the guidance of many internationally acclaimed tennis players in India.

The game of Tennis is considered among the most popular sports in India, as several Indian tennis players have earned international recognition and reputation, from time to time. The Indian Tennis players in recent years mainly get their training from several Tennis academies, spread all over India. There are a large number of academies operating in India to bring out new talents to represent India in the international arena. The Indian tennis academies have been playing an important role in the well being of Indian Tennis.

Management of Indian Tennis Academies
Most of the Indian Tennis academies are being run and managed by the former Indian Tennis players, who want to pass over their vast experience to the young and budding Tennis players. The Tennis academies have by and large proved to be instrumental in shaping the careers of many such young and talented players in India, so far. They have also been instrumental in making the players into big stars of tomorrow.

Involvement of Tennis Players in Indian Tennis Academies
The legendary Indian Tennis players like Rohit Rajpal and Leander Paes honed their Tennis skills at the Britannia Amritraj Tennis Academy. Apart from them, many leading players, who have been at the peak of their careers and have contributed immensely to this game, have planned to revive the interest in the game, in an effort to reclaim the lost glory of India.

Trends of Forming Tennis Academies by the World Class Players Of India
One of the best Indian Tennis players, Vijay Amritraj, started the trend of former great players establishing Indian Tennis academies. He started a full fledged Tennis academy in India for the first time. The then Chairman of Britannia, Mr. Rajan Pillay gave a lot of support to Vijay Amritraj and they together founded the Britannia Amritraj Tennis Academy in Chennai. After Amritraj, the other great Indian Tennis players like Jaidip Mukherjee, Mahesh Bhupathi, the famous father-son duo of Ramanathan and Ramesh Krishnan, etc have also established their own Tennis academies. In the recent years, the latest sensation of Indian Tennis, Sania Mirza has also approached the State Government of Andhra Pradesh for land to start her Tennis academy.

For more, visit the page below:

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Table Tennis Associations in India

  

Table Tennis Associations in India helps to promote develop and enhance the prospect of Indian Table Tennis, a large number of National and State level associations have been established, so far in the country.

Table Tennis Associations in India organise various international Table Tennis tournaments, as well. The Table Tennis Federation of India is headed by President Mr. Ajay Singh Chautala (M.P.) and Secretary-General Mr. D R. Choudhary.

Andhra Pradesh Table Tennis Association
The Andhra Pradesh Table Tennis Association (APTTA) is considered as the pioneer State Associations in India producing National and International players.

Assam Table Tennis Association
The Assam Table Tennis Association (ATTA) is another state association in India that operates for the well being of Table Tennis in India. This is a registered federation and it mainly encourages the Table Tennis players from Assam.

Bihar Table Tennis Association
Bihar also has Table Tennis associations named as the Bihar Table Tennis Association (BTTA).

Chhattisgarh Table Tennis Association
In Chattisgarh, the association is named as the Chhattisgarh Table Tennis Association (CTTA)and it is responsible for giving a hike to the players, who want to pursue Table Tennis, as their career.

Delhi Table Tennis Association
The Capital City of India, Delhi has an association named the Delhi Table Tennis Association (DTTA).

Goa Table Tennis Association
The Goa Table Tennis Association (GTTA) is another state level association, working for the development of the game in the state.

Gujarat State Table Tennis Association
The Gujarat State Table Tennis Association (GSTTA) is one of the Table Tennis associations in India that is aimed at bringing up talented Table Tennis players from the state.

Haryana Table Tennis Association
The Haryana Table Tennis Association (HTTA) is working for promoting the game in the state.

For more, visit the link below:

https://www.indianetzone.com/38/table_tennis_associations_india.htm

Table Tennis in India

  

Table Tennis in India is considered as one of the most widely played sports among the young adults. The game is played quite extensively in almost all the schools, colleges and universities in India and the young generation is the highest admirers of this game.

Origin of Table Tennis
Though the game was originally invented in England during the 1880s, Table Tennis in India started its journey during the first half of the twentieth century. The popular game of Table Tennis in India is commonly known as Ping-Pong in India. The game is played on a rectangular table divided by a net in the centre. Two or four players can play the game at a time and the players usually hit a ball to and fro over the net, with the help of a small bat.

Table Tennis is actually a smaller version of Lawn tennis and the two games have a lot of similarities regarding their rules and regulations. The game requires high level of physical fitness on behalf of the players, as they need to move on both sides, sometimes within a fraction of second.

History of Table Tennis in India
Table Tennis in India started to be played in an organised manner from the year 1937, when the Table Tennis Federation of India came into existence in Kolkata (Calcutta). The TTFI was formed with four State Association affiliated to it. The TTFI is an active member of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) that was established in 1926. India was one of the founder members of the ITTF. After operating for over a decade to promote and improve the status of Table Tennis in India, the TTFI became successful to produce a number of quality Indian Table Tennis players. India participated in the inaugural World Championships and it also hosted the World Championship at Mumbai (Bombay) in 1952. It was the first time that the World Championship was held in Asia.

Table Tennis in National Spectrum
Table Tennis in India has also found favour with institutional organisations like oil companies and banks. The organisations like the Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB) regularly holds inter unit tournaments and recruits national level Table Tennis players, to provide necessary support to them.

For more, check the link below:
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Tennikoit is a type of tennis game played among the school and college students throughout India. This game is played on a tennis-style court with a net separating the two players of the game. Four decades since its inception, this outdoor game has risen from district levels to international levels with nearly 20 countries all over the world. In South India, this game gained much popularity.

Lawn Tennis in India

 

Lawn Tennis in India is one of the popular sports of India. It is a game which can be played either indoors or outdoors on a rectangular court by two persons (in singles) or by four of the same sex (women's and men's double) or by men and women partners (mixed doubles). Contrasting to Cricket, Lawn Tennis has failed to get the hold of the masses in India and still, after 120 years of its beginning, it remains a game for the influential class.

History of Lawn Tennis in India
The game was brought to India by the British Army and civilian officers. Some of the most notable tennis tournaments in the history of the game in the India include Punjab Lawn Tennis Championship held at Lahore in 1885, Bengal Lawn Tennis Championship held at Kolkata in 1887 and the All India Tennis Championships organized at Allahabad in 1910. In the early years, when the Indians were habituated with tennis, the British players dominated the championships. The earliest All India Championships in Tennis were held in 1910, in which both men and women took part.

Development of Lawn Tennis in India
The year 1910 was the beginning of the development of lawn tennis in India in which both men and women took part. B.K Nehru in 1905 and Sardar Nihal Singh in 1908 and later M Saleem, Fayzee brothers with Jagat Mohan Lal made it to last 16 steps at the Wimbledon. Ghaus Mohammad was the first Indian to make in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon in 1939. In the 1960s, the Lawn Tennis observed a golden period. Ramanathan Krishnan received his top rank – No. 4 in Wimbledon in 1962. India continually became the Zonal Champions in the Davis Cup. Ramanathan Krishnan, along with Premjit Lal, SP Misra, Jaidip and RK Khanna as the non-playing captain, pushed India to the Cup finals in 1966.

In the 1970s, Vijay Amritraj with his teammates Sashi Menon, Jasjit Singh and Anand Amritraj brothers took India to World Cup Finals for the second time in 1974. Moreover, Vijay also made it to the quarterfinals of US Open in 1973 and 198, Wimbledon in 1973 and 1974. The son of Ramanathan Krishnan, Ramesh Krishnan won the junior Wimbledon championship and junior French Open title in 1979 and was ranked number 1 junior in the world. He made it to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon (1986) as US Open twice. India won their first Grand Slam title at the French open in the Mixed Doubles in 1997. Although, none of the Indian player has won a Grand Slam Singles title in the Men's or Women's category so far.

Leander Paes won the Wimbledon Championship in 1999, 2003, 2008, 2009, 2010 and in 2015 in the category of Mixed Doubles. In the Mixed Doubles, Sania Mirza won the title of US Open in 2014, French Open in 2012 and Australian Open in 2009. Mahesh Bhupathi won the title of French Open and US Open in the category of Mixed Doubles. Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi won the French Open and Wimbledon together. Sania Mirza won the Wimbledon in 2015 in Women's Doubles. Sumit Nagal won the Wimbledon in 2015 in Boys' Doubles.

For more, visit the link below:

https://www.indianetzone.com/20/lawn_tennis_india.htm

Sunitha Rao, Indian Tennis Player

Sunitha Rao is an Indian- American tennis player, born in October. She was born and bought up in America.

Early Life of Sunitha Rao: Sunitha Rao was born on October 27 in the year 1985 in Jersey City, New Jersey. She is a former American professional tennis player. Her family spoke Kannada language. Her parents are originally from Mangalore in Karnataka.

Career of Sunitha Rao:Sunitha Rao has played for India on the Fed Cup and 2008 Summer Olympics, and played for United States on all other occasions. She was beaten by Anastasia Myskina in the second round. Then she played at the Sunfeast Open where she beat Neha Uberoi in the first round before falling to Elena Likhovtseva.

Partnership of Sunitha Rao
Sunitha Rao partnered with Sania Mirza, representing India in the women's doubles event at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

Read more : Sunitha Rao, Indian Tennis Player

Davis Cup, Tennis Tournament in India

India competed in its first Davis Cup in 1921. But India lost the Davis Cup at first. India finished as runners-up 3 times in 1966, 1974, and 1987. In 1974, there was a final match played between India and South Africa. Know more about the history of this tournament here: http://www.indianetzone.com/9/davis_cup.htm

Mini Tennis

Mini Tennis is a special version of tennis, which is designed for children or younger and for the inexperienced players. By this game one can learn all the skills and methods of the actual game with fun and excitement. For more read:

http://www.indianetzone.com/8/mini_tennis.htm

Kinesis Tennis Training & Coaching Academy

Kinesis Tennis Training & Coaching Academy is situated in the city of Bangalore. This institute was founded with the main aim of providing professional tennis coaching to the students, who are categorized as per their age groups and skills. For more read:

http://www.indianetzone.com/43/kinesis_tennis_training_coaching_academy.htm