ADVANTAGE INDIA

The history of Indian tennis begins in the late nineteenth century, soon

after it was established as a competitive sport in England. The sport

quickly caught the imagination of the colonised just as much as it had

of the colonisers. In those early years, Mohammed Sleem, the Fyzee

brothers, S.M. Jacob and Ghaus Mohammed (whose genius was sadly

curtailed by the Second World War) were the heroes tennis needed,

claiming it for India.

After Independence, a new set of players set the courts ablaze: Dilip

Bose, Sumant Misra, Naresh Kumar and the dazzling Ramanathan

Krishnan, who remains one of India’s biggest icons. In the 1970s and

’80s, Vijay Amritraj and Ramesh Krishnan established India as a regular

on the international stage, until finally in the mid-1990s, Leander Paes

and Mahesh Bhupathi earned the country its first Grand Slam titles.

Today, tennis is deeply entrenched in India, with players like Rohan

Bopanna and Sania Mirza—the superstar who transformed women’s

tennis in her country—being huge sporting icons and much sought

after for endorsements.

Advantage India is a deeply researched and engaging account of the

exhilarating journey of Indian tennis, with a special section on the

Doubles game and on women’s tennis in India. A must-have for every

sports lover.