Suave Amritraj silenced by India's status

Bengaluru: From defeating Rod Laver, Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe on a tennis court to saving lead actor Roger Moore as an M16 intelligence operative in the James Bond movie Octopussy, Vijay Amritraj has done it all.

The Indian tennis great, who served with style and elegance (be it with a tennis racket in all-white shorts and shirt or while chasing down villains with a gun in crisp suits),  along with Leander Paes became the first Asian players to be inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame recently.  

“The news came the day before my birthday (December 14) so it was quite a birthday gift,” said the 70-year-old at an event organised by the Leela Palace here to celebrate the news.

“The most important part of this induction into the Hall of Fame, especially in the contributor category, is that it includes the entire gamut of what you have done in the sport for a long period of time. The first thing that happens is that, the whole life kind of flashes in front of you since the time I started playing the game.

“More than anything else, Newport (home of the Hall of Fame) has a special place in my heart because I won that tournament three times (1976, 1980, 1984) and the only one to do so,” he reminisced.   

As Amritraj, dressed in a navy blue suit on Monday evening, shared anecdotes about his glittering life, his signature smile quickly turned sombre when the question of India facing Pakistan in a Davis Cup Group I play-off was tossed at him.  

“So…,” he went before a long pause. For a moment, it looked like the typically eloquent Amritraj was left searching for words to be politically correct. Turns out it was more a silence of disappointment. 

“First of all, I don't think I ever have known what it is like to be in Group II. I never knew Group II existed. That’s not where India is supposed to be. That’s not where India belongs. It is the players' job to get us out of there,” expressed Amritraj about India playing the Group I play-off in Islamabad on February 2-3. A win will take them to Group I, a loss will keep India in Group II. 

“Having had this setback of being in Group II, this is a tie that we have no other choice but to win. However, we are without our top two guys (Sumit Nagal and Sasikumar Mukund) and (the tie will be played on grass courts) those guys are decent on grass and it's only three sets and two days so the conditions favour them. The match really comes down to a set and a break. I hope our boys can get ahead on the first day.”

While weathering the storm is the only way out for the Indian team (travelling to Pakistan after a gap of 60 years), according to Amritraj, the conversation couldn’t end without the veteran applauding the 43-year-old Rohan Bopanna for his doubles title at the Australian Open. 

"What impresses me the most about Bops is one: he is a terrific guy and no one deserved it more than him. And second: he stayed the course, kept working when things were down and always knew he would go out on his own terms.”

With the customary media interaction, lasting a few minutes, concluding, the former athlete with a film star aura dashed back to the small group of tennis aficionados. A couple of volleys from them to share stories of working with 32 Miss Worlds/ UKs during the James Bond movie shoot followed. “They were lovely and I was single back then…” was Amritraj’s cheeky reply.