Want to see at least 4-5 Indians among the top 100 in the world: Vijay Amritraj

Indian tennis is struggling to find momentum and the presence of players in Majors could change that

Legendary tennis player Vijay Amritraj’s hopes another Leander Paes can emerge to take the Indian tennis forward in the near future.

Vijay Amritraj wants to see India have a good run in Davis Cup.

The tennis great, who took India to the Davis Cup finals twice in 1974 and 1987, feels that having at least 4-5 Indians in top 100 in the world over the next few years is vital for Indian tennis.

“We have some talented youngsters on the circuit but they need to do a lot of things to improve further. I want to see at least 4-5 Indians among the top 100 in the world, playing consistent tennis throughout the year. All these boys like Nagal and Mukund are playing well and we will see how they play in the Davis Cup,” said Amritraj.

He also wants to see India have a good run in the event.

“I led India to finals on both the occasions and now I am missing that moment. We need to work towards that. We belong to the World Group but still there is a lot of work that needs to be done,” said Amritraj, who still cherishes some good old memories of playing on the grassy court of the Awadh Gymkhana Club here in 1975 when India played the Eastern Zone semi-final against New Zealand in the Davis Cup.

Reacting to Rohan Bopanna’s comment that the team camaraderie in the Davis Cup team was now missing, Amritraj said it was the much-needed thing for a team event.

“I, too, believe that Davis Cup is all about team camaraderie, spending time with the team, being together, everybody coming together,” he said, adding, “In a team game, we must have a relationship as it helps in planning things well, including practice.”

He also expressed concern over the frequent injuries to the Indian players.

Amritraj added: "Injuries are bound to happen as you tend to work overtime. This happened to many Indians and what we need is to plan our schedule carefully and keep consulting the coach as on which surface one is playing and what one needs to do to keep oneself away from injuries. In fact, one needs to draw one's playing calendar carefully.”