The three-and-a-half-hour Amtrak ride on the NorthEast Regional Rail Network from Moynihan Train Hall in midtown Manhattan brings you to Kingston Station, which looks like a setting from an old Western (though this is the US East Coast) with its wood-panelled salon. But there’s no gun-toting cowboy in leather overalls waiting outside. Instead, you’ll find an empty driveway, devoid of cars, people, or horses. It’s as if the movie ended long ago; the actors and extras have all gone home, leaving the set behind.
With the nearest Uber ride 17 minutes away, you, with chirping crickets for company, pray it’s not another driver (like in India) who cancels after quizzing you about the fare. But, mercifully, Ruben — in his red Honda, not a red mare — arrives in half the time. The ride to Newport, crossing bridges over the Atlantic Ocean that stretch longer than the Mumbai Sealink, is pleasant and chatty as Ruben worries about the future of the New England Patriots after the retirement of Tom Brady, the NFL’s greatest quarterback.
He’s surprised to learn that Indians play tennis, let alone that two of them have made it into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, right there in the Casino Theatre. But as you pull up to the nearly century-old brownstone Viking Hotel in Newport’s Historic Hill neighbourhood, it’s easy to mistake the scene for a big, exuberant Indian wedding. The lobby is awash with colour and chaos as men and women embrace like long-lost friends, even as bemused hotel staff and locals do their best to navigate around the lively spectacle.
A short walk, quicker than the ancient-looking trolley cars trundling along the street, past columned manors and mansions, brings you to the Hall of Fame Museum. Here, you find even more Indians buzzing with impatient energy, all awaiting the arrival of soon-to-be inductees Leander Paes and Vijay Amritraj.
Among Leander’s memorabilia, now on display in this quaint, rich oceanfront town, is his most cherished possession: his 1996 Atlanta Olympics bronze medal.
“The main reason I started playing sports was to emulate my dad, who won an Olympic [hockey bronze in Munich 1972] medal. My parents were there [in Atlanta], and they mean the world to me. Both of my siblings gave up a lot for me. I am here because of all the love and support I got from so many people,” said Leander, struggling to hold back tears in a hall crammed with his well-wishers.
Family time: Leander Paes with his daughter and parents. “I am here because of all the love and support I got from so many people,” said Leander, struggling to hold back tears in a hall crammed with his well-wishers. | Photo Credit: Picture Courtesy: ITHF
Leander’s victory in Atlanta, defeating Brazilian Fernando Meligeni for the bronze, propelled him into Indian sports folklore. In a country starved for Olympic success, he became a new hero. And his triumph inspired a generation of Indian athletes to believe they could compete with the best. Since that historic medal, India has never come back from the Olympics empty-handed, a stark contrast to the previous routine disappointments.
Leander always wore his heart on his sleeves on the tennis court; his emotion and courage were as much part of his game as were his lightning-quick reflexes at the net. His passion was even more intense when he played for India, be it at the Davis Cup, Olympics or the Asian Games. That same emotion was evident as he spoke about Martina Navratilova, with whom he won two mixed doubles Grand Slams. Navratilova and Leander’s 2003 Wimbledon trophy is also on display. Calling the 59-time Grand Slam winner his ‘North Star’, Leander said: “She has been my guiding light and has inspired me through longevity of lifestyle—diet, sleep, training methods, recovery. I got a chance to play with her in 2003, and we won the Australian Open and Wimbledon. Playing with her was special, as I grew up watching her play on black-and-white television in Kolkata. And then getting to know her as a person and winning Wimbledon together is special. She is not just a champion of tennis, but she is a champion of life.”
For Amritraj, inducted in the contributor category, sport has always been a way to unify the world. “My parents were flying blind when we got into this sport we call tennis. Never knew where it was going to take us. I’ve often said that my greatest talent was being born to the right parents,” Vijay said. “My biggest sadness, I would say, is them not being here with me to be able to share this. But it has been such a monumental task and effort on their part to get me into this situation and make something of me, which I never dreamt about.”
Among his memorabilia on display are his Rolex watch from his 1976 victory here in Newport, his ITF Golden Achievement Award, the key to the city of Los Angeles, the Padma Shri medallion, and his World Championship Tennis jacket.
Welcoming Amritraj, Leander and veteran tennis journalist Richard Evans, a chronicler of 200 Majors and the biographer of Amritraj, to the illustrious club were many of the game’s greatest and fellow Hall of Famers, including 18-time Grand Slam winner Christ Evert, her greatest rival and friend Navratilova, Andre Agassi, Stan Smith, and WTA founding member Rosie Casals.
The Indians, in vibrant sarees and crisp bandhgalas, were everywhere, outnumbering the more stoic, buttoned-up members of the club. It was a splash of Bollywood into an old-school English tea party, and the setting was chaotically beautiful.
Picture perfect: Vijay Amritraj with his famil members. “This is not just an honour for me, my parents, and my family, but for my fellow Indians and my country,” he said. | Photo Credit: Picture Courtesy: ITHF
Navratilova introduced Leander, the 18-time Grand Slam winner, as the player who played tennis “the way most of us would like to play.” “He has got that off-speed serve, the big forehand, and the sliced backhand where it lands exactly where you don’t want to land. When he comes to the net, he has a big forehand volley and reflexes like a leopard. He runs every ball down, and if he can’t, he dives for it. And if all else fails, he smiles, and then everybody’s heart melts,” Navratilova said. “Leander, it was truly my honour to play against you. I enjoyed it a lot more when I played with you. You have done your family proud; you have done our sport proud; and most of all, you have done India proud.”
Leander, dressed in a cream-coloured sherwani and the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan proudly pinned to his lapel, said: “It is a privilege to be on this stage with these people who have inspired me every single day of my life. They are not just Grand Slam winners, but they have shaped the world we live in. I thank all of you for giving this Indian boy hope.”
Amritraj, winner of 28 tour-level titles, including three in Newport, was introduced by his son Prakash, who called him “my greatest hero, who also happens to be my father.”
Amritraj reached the Wimbledon singles quarterfinals as a 19-year-old in 1973 and was the president of the ATP between 1989 and 1993. He became the first Asian to join the ITHF in the contributor category. “When I was given the news that this year I would be inducted, a feeling came over me that I had never experienced. Tennis has allowed me to meet people I never thought I would meet, and it has given me more things than I could have ever imagined.
It will always be a part of our lives and always bring families, communities, and countries together,” Amritraj said. “This is not just an honour for me, my parents, and my family, but for my fellow Indians and my country.”
With the Tiranga flying high atop the old Casino Building and bhangra moves breaking out to AP Dhillon’s ‘Brown Munde’, it was unmistakably India’s day in Newport. The two Brown Mundes had made the country proud.
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