Country (sports) India Career titles 8 Weight 64 kg Turned pro 1978 Name Ramesh Krishnan Parents Ramanathan Krishnan | Prize money $1,263,130 Role Tennis player Retired 1993 Career record 320–288 Height 1.70 m Handed Right-handed | |
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Plays Right-handed (one-handed backhand) Awards Arjuna Award for Lawn Tennis | ||
1981 Seiko World Tennis 1st Bjorn Borg vs Ramesh Krishnan
Ramesh Krishnan (Tamil: ரமேஷ் கிருஷ்ணன்) (born 5 June 1961) is a tennis coach and former professional tennis player from India. As a junior player in the late 1970s, he won the boys' singles titles at both Wimbledon and the French Open. He went on to reach three Grand Slam quarter-finals in the 1980s and was a part of the Indian team which reached the final of the Davis Cup in 1987. Krishnan also beat then World No. 1, Mats Wilander, at the 1989 Australian Open. He became India's Davis Cup captain in 2007.
Contents
- 1981 Seiko World Tennis 1st Bjorn Borg vs Ramesh Krishnan
- Early life
- Career
- Career titles
- Career highlights
- References
Early life
Ramesh was born in Madras, India, and is the son of Ramanathan Krishnan, who was one of India's leading tennis players in the 1960s. Ramesh emulated an achievement of his father's by winning the Wimbledon junior title in 1979. He also won the French Open junior title that year, and was ranked the No. 1 junior player in the world.
Career
At the senior level, Ramesh reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon once (1986) and the US Open twice (1981 and 1987). He was admired for his touch, anticipation and all-round game, but his lack of a killer stroke or a strong service kept him from reaching the very top of the men's game.
Ramesh was a key member of the Indian team which reached the Davis Cup final in 1987. In the semi-finals against Australia, he beat John Fitzgerald in four sets the opening singles match, and then defeated Wally Masur in straight sets the decisive fifth rubber to give India a 3–2 victory. However, in the final against Sweden, India was defeated 5–0 with Krishnan losing two singles matches to Mats Wilander and Anders Järryd and with the Indian team managing to win only one set in the entire tournament. Ramesh was a stalwart on India's Davis Cup team from 1977 to 1993, compiling a 29–21 winning record (23–19 in singles and 6–2 in doubles).
In the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Ramesh reached the men's doubles quarter-finals partnering Leander Paes.
Ramesh retired from the professional tour in 1993. Over the course of his career, he won eight top-level singles titles and one doubles title. His career-high singles ranking was World No. 23 (in January 1985). His career prize-money totalled US$1,263,130.
In 1998, Ramesh was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India in recognition of his achievements and contributions to Indian tennis.
Ramesh runs a tennis academy in Chennai, set up along the lines of similar institutions in the United States. He became India's Davis Cup captain in January 2007.
Career titles
Singles Career Titles (8):
1989 (1) Auckland (Outdoor/Hard)
1988 (1) Wellington (Outdoor/Hard)
1986 (3) Hong Kong (Outdoor/Hard), Tokyo Outdoor (Outdoor/Hard), Schenectady (Outdoor/Hard)
1984 (1) Metz (Indoor/Hard)
1982 (1) Stuttgart Outdoor (Outdoor/Clay)
1981 (1) Manila (Outdoor/Clay)
Singles Career Finalist (4):
1988 (3) Rye Brook (Outdoor/Hard), Bristol (Outdoor/Grass), Auckland (Outdoor/Hard)
1985 (1) Cologne (Indoor/Hard)
Doubles Career Titles (1):
1987 (1) Nancy (w/Mezzadri, Indoor/Carpet)