Vijay Amritraj On 12 Defining Moments of His Life

Tennis legend Vijay Amritraj recounts the 12 milestones that shaped him and his sporting life.

- Prachi Bhuchar

He Is Dressed In A Double-Breasted Jacket, sand-coloured pants and a cravat, looking every inch a gentleman. You may be used to seeing Vijay Amritraj wield his racket on court but in this avatar he is playing a role in the 1983 James Bond film Octopussy. This is just one of the many hats Vijay Amritraj has donned. Think Indian tennis and 63-year-old Vijay Amritraj’s name comes to mind, by virtue of his being one of the finest tennis players the country has ever seen. He was the closest India had to a tennis super star; our chance at top prize on the finest courts in the world. In fact, in the 70s, when he was at the height of his career, Amritraj and his contemporaries, Bjorn Borg and Jimmy Connors, were referred to as the ABC of tennis. Born and brought up in Chennai, Amritraj started playing tennis to strengthen his lungs (he spent much of his childhood battling lung disease). Many wrote him off as a sportsman because of this but he was determined to play the best tennis India had ever seen. Today, 25 years after he bid his competitive racquet goodbye, Amritraj is still busy drawing people to Wimbledon through his insightful commentating.