Leander Paes, Vijay Amritraj get inducted into International Tennis Hall of Fame
Indian tennis legends Leander Paes and Vijay Amritraj became the first Asian players to be formally inducted in the International Tennis Hall of Fame in a gliterring ceremony.
On Saturday, in the ceremony, both players raised the Tricolour high with honour as they were formally inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Now 70, Amritraj peaked at 18 and 23 in singles and doubles careers, respectively, winning 13 doubles and 15 singles titles throughout his journey as a tennis player which lasted over two decades.
Paes, who also played from 1991-2021, had peak rankings of number 73 in singles and number one in doubles. The Kolkata-born star won a total of one singles title and 54 doubles titles, having won each Grand Slam event, i.e., the Australian Open (2012), the French Open (1999, 2001, and 2009), Wimbledon (1999), and US Open (2006, 2009, and 2013). He also has a Olympic medal in tennis, having secured a bronze during the 1996 Olympics at Atlanta in the men's singles competition, making him the first Asian in Olympic history to win a tennis medal and, to this day, the only Indian.
Paes said that it is special to have two Indians being inducted into the Hall of Fame and thanked Amritraj for believing in him when he was young and having him there at his academy, which honed his craft.
«I think it is 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, as well as for his
