Indian tennis legend Vijay Amritraj was honoured by the Tamil Nadu government as the North stand of the main court at the SDAT Stadium in Nungambakkam was named after him in a ceremony on Tuesday.
Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin unveiled the ‘Vijay Amritraj Pavilion’ during a ceremony on the Centre Court.
“Vijay Amritraj’s rise in the tennis world was nothing short of extraordinary. He faced the greatest players of his era - Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe - and brought honour and prestige to India on the international stage,” he said.
Amritraj won 15 titles on the ATP Tour and twice reached the quarterfinals at both Wimbledon and the US Open. | Photo Credit: The Hindu Archives
Amritraj was ranked 18th in the world in 1980, the highest-ever ranking achieved by an Indian since the introduction of the computerised rankings in 1973.
He won 15 titles on the ATP Tour and twice reached the quarterfinals at both Wimbledon and the US Open. He also led the country to the Davis Cup finals in 1974 and 1987.
The 70-year-old Amritraj was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in the contributor category in July 2024.
Amritraj (second from left) felicitated by Tamil Nadu’s Deputy Chief Minister Udhyanidhi Stalin at the Vijay Amritraj Pavilion unveiling function in Chennai. | Photo Credit: B. Jothi Ramalingam / The Hindu
“I hope this stadium will continue to host great events in our sport. It is a constant work in progress to bring back the ATP, WTA, junior and special events and see our Indian boys and girls compete in global events,” said Amritraj, who is also the president of the Tamil Nadu Tennis Association (TNTA), during his acceptance speech.
Dr. Atulya Misra, Additional Chief Secretary to Government, Department of Youth Welfare and Sports Development; J. Meghanatha Reddy, Member Secretary, Sports Development Authority, Government of Tamil Nadu; Deputy Mayor Mahesh Kumaar, tennis players Somdev Devvarman and Prajnesh Gunneswaran, and various TNTA officials attended the event.
Comments
SHARE