Sania Mirza in a file photo. (Image: Twitter/Jhulan Goswami)

Tennis stats: Indian tennis stars who made their mark on the international tennis community

May 3, 2023 Nilavro Ghosh

When it comes to tennis, Indians have never really been on top of the world, which is a bit thought provoking for a country with more than a billion people. Poor infrastructure, lack of funding, focus on developing only a select few sports are some of the reasons why there are no Indian tennis players who ca be considered legendary on the international stage. One can only imagine how it would feel like to have a singles Grand Slam champion from India and for the longest time, people believed that to be Sania Mirza. Her 20-year career saw 44 trophies but a singles major was not one of them.

There are a few Indians who have made it as big as they could have on the international stage. Sania Mirza is undoubtedly the biggest name on the list. The likes of Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupati and Rohan Bopanna have also made it relatively big with multiple titles on the ATP calendar. Every big Indian player has made their mark on the doubles category and while there might not be a singles Grand Slam winner from the most populated country in the world, there certainly are some quite prolific doubles players. Here are the most successful Indian tennis players at Grand Slams.

Sania Mirza

Sania Mirza is a former competitive tennis player from India. She was once ranked first in the world in doubles and won six major championships, three in women’s doubles and three in mixed doubles. She held the No. 1 singles ranking in India according to the Women’s Tennis Association from 2003 until her retirement from singles in 2013. Mirza has made a name for herself as one of India’s most well-known, well-paid, and influential athletes over the course of her career.

Career titles – 44

Leander Paes

One of the all-time great doubles tennis players, according to many, s Leander Paes. He currently holds the Davis Cup record for most doubles victories. Paes won ten Grand Slam titles in mixed doubles and eight in men’s doubles. He has won a career Grand Slam in both men’s and mixed doubles, and at the 1999 Wimbledon Championships, he also won a very uncommon men’s/mixed double. He became the second man (after Rod Laver) to win Wimbledon titles in three decades with his mixed doubles victory in 2015.

Career titles – 55

Mahesh Bhupati

Tennis player Mahesh Shrinivas Bhupathi, who was ranked No. 1 in the world in doubles, was born on June 7, 1974. Together with Rika Hiraki, he was the first Indian to win a significant competition in 1997. He became one of the exclusive eight tennis players to complete a career Grand Slam in mixed doubles with his victory at the 2006 Australian Open mixed doubles. The International Premier Tennis League was founded by him as well. Bhupathi succeeded Anand Amritraj as India’s non-playing Davis Cup captain in February 2017 after being named to the position in December 2016.

Career titles – 52

Rohan Bopanna

Rohan Bopanna’s highest singles career ranking was 213 in 2007, and his highest doubles career ranking was 3 on July 22, 2013. Since 2002, he has competed for India in the Davis Cup. Bopanna has triumphed in five Masters 1000 men’s doubles competitions: the 2011 and 2012 Paris Masters, the 2015 Madrid Open, the 2017 Monte Carlo Masters, and the 2023 Indian Wells Masters, where he set the record for the oldest Masters 1000 winner ever.

Career titles – 24