Rohan is a terrific guy and has been a great representative for India, says Vijay Amritraj

Vijay Amritraj, honoured for his induction to the Tennis Hall of Fame event, praises Rohan Bopanna and discusses Davis Cup match against Pakistan.

Close to 43 years have passed since Vijay Amritraj reached a career-high men’s singles ranking of 18. The passage of time, however, has not diminished his appeal.

Still dapper at 70, Amritraj was the cynosure of all eyes at an event hosted by The Leela Palace here to honour his induction into the Tennis Hall of Fame (contributor category). Amritraj held court effortlessly with his friendly demeanour and quick wit.

Amritraj will be inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame at Newport (USA) — a city where he has won three titles (1976, 1980 and 1984). “The setting in Newport is spectacular. It is the place where tennis was born in the USA,” Amritraj said.

Amritraj took a moment to remember his late parents — Robert Amritraj and Maggie Dhairyam. “My greatest talent was being born to the right parents,” Amritraj said.

Amritraj praised Rohan Bopanna, who recently claimed the Australian Open men’s doubles title to become the oldest man to win a Grand Slam.

“You must have tremendous support from family, especially your spouse, to stay with it for this long duration of time. To play at 43 — the tough part is all the work that must be put in before matches. As you get older, you slow down. The shot that was once routine is not routine anymore,” Amritraj said,

“The advantage is that Rohan plays doubles. Doubles and singles is like night and day. If you have to run down everything for three hours, as you do in singles, it would have been a nightmare. The good thing is that he has a good serve, so there will always be free points,” he said.