Trailblazers Amritraj, Paes make Indian history with Hall of Fame induction

Vijay Amritraj and Leander Paes on Saturday became the first Asian men to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame as a contributor and player, respectively. But for India, their enshrinement into the most prestigious club in tennis means so much more.

Before Amritraj and later Paes flew their country’s flag around the globe on the world’s biggest stages, there was no North Star for them to chase. There was no example of what success looked like in a sport that had little history in India, which today has a population of 1.4 billion.

“I think it's really special to have two Indians inducted into the Hall of Fame,” Paes told ATPTour.com. “I have so much respect for Vijay and what he has given to me and the opportunity as a young boy in his academy, to his mom and dad, Mr. And Mrs. Amritraj, for supporting me and believing in me.

“Also to see a fellow Indian getting inducted into a category that does so much to enhance the game of tennis [is special]. A big congratulations to Vijay's mum, dad, wife, two sons, their wives and the whole family and especially to Vijay's brothers Anand and Ashok.”

Amritraj and Paes’ journeys are intertwined, since the latter attended an academy as a kid with the former’s name on it.

But Amritraj nearly did not have a future in sport at all. When he was young, the Indian struggled with lung issues. There were times when he was stuck in bed and a future paving the way for his country in an international sport seemed out of the question.

“You're lying in a hospital bed, and your mother's telling you you're going to be the best tennis player India's ever had and you're going to be playing around the world, and Indians all over the world are going to come and watch you play,” Amritraj recalled.

“At seven years old, what is she telling you about? Not that she knew about it, because she hadn't been there. So it's not like she's talking from experience or anything else. But it was a mother's strength and belief that was embedded in me. So then when it finally happens, and you have something like this accolade to be bestowed on you, the whole life from seven to 70 just kind of flashed before me, and everything that I did.”

Had Amritraj not struggled with health in his early years, his outlook would not have been much better.

“When you're growing up in the '50s and '60s in India, which is not what India is today, you grew up not being able to visualise what you can work towards getting to,” Amritraj said. “There was no visibility of where we could go. In spite of my bad health and all of that, and being in and out of hospital and my mother taking such good care of me, IV'ing me and so on and so forth.”

Amritraj made his mark early in his career, advancing to the 1973 Wimbledon quarter-finals aged 19. Two-time tournament champion Carlos Alcaraz did not reach the last eight at The Championships until he was 20, when he lifted the trophy at SW19.

Amritraj ascended to No. 23 in the PIF ATP Doubles Rankings and claimed 13 doubles crowns.

A four-time singles quarter-finalist at the Grand Slam tournaments, Amritraj led India to two Davis Cup finals. And the waves of those efforts back home helped show millions of children across the country that success in tennis was possible.

Amritraj credits his parents, Bob and Maggie, for not trying to check off simple goals for their son, but encouraging him to dream bigger than he could ever imagine.

“They took upon a challenge of saying that you're going to be a lot more than that, where the world is going to come and watch you. And I don't know what they meant with that,” Amritraj said. “They were two ordinary people who ended up doing extraordinary things in my life. I had very little to do with it. I just happened to be born to them, the greatest parents I've ever known. This is also after [my mom] had in her 30s two horrific accidents. So they taught me parenting like I've never ever seen in my life.”

Paes comes from a sporting family that represented India on the world’s stage. Both competed in the 1972 Olympics. His father, Vece, was a member of the Indian field hockey team and his mother, Jennifer, was captain of the basketball team.

But he was still a kid running around Calcutta barefoot playing cricket and football. Amritraj and his family were living proof that those were not his only options. Tennis was one, too.

“The Amritraj family has done a lot for sport and a big congratulations to Vijay for being inducted into the Hall of Fame in the contributor category,” Paes said. “It's so apt that he actually gave me that opportunity.”

Paes, following the example of those who came before him, crafted one of the best doubles resumes of his lifetime. The 51-year-old won 54 tour-level doubles titles as well as a singles title. It is fitting that his singles crown came in Newport, where he was inducted into the International Hall of Fame alongside Amritraj, a three-time Newport singles champion.

Now both men have made history for their country, leaving a permanent mark on the history books. There are now two Indian men in the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

“This incredible legacy of people looking at this place as a museum well after I'm gone is truly, truly unimaginable. I can't put thoughts or words into it, because it is not just saying impossible is nothing. It's much more than that,” Amritraj said. “It's more a question, for me anyway, of India being in the Hall of Fame, the tricolour and the anthem. And to me, that's the most important bit because I did it as an Indian at a time when it wasn't meant to be.”