Ramanathan Krishnan

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Ramanathan Krishnan (born 11 April 1937, in Madras, India) is a retired tennis player from India who was among the world's leading players in the 1950s and 1960s. He was at one point ranked the World No. 3 amateur player – the highest ranking ever achieved by a tennis player from Asia.

Krishnan honed his skills under his father, T.K. Ramanathan. He soon made his mark on the national circuit, sweeping all the junior titles. In 1954, he became the first Asian player to win the boy's singles title at Wimbledon, beating Ashley Cooper in the final.

In 1960, Krishnan reached the semi-finals of the men's singles competition at Wimbledon where he lost to Neale Fraser. He reached the Wimbledon semi-finals again the next year, losing to Rod Laver.

Krishnan was ranked among the top-10 amateur players in the world on five different occasions. In 1960, he was ranked No. 3 behind Neale Fraser and Alex Olmedo.

Krishnan was a key member of the Indian team which reached the final of the Davis Cup in 1966. In the semi-finals against Brazil he won two singles matches and a doubles rubber (partnering Jaidip Mukerjea) to help India to a 3-2 win. In the final aginst Australia, Krishnan and Mukerjea won the doubles rubber (against John Newcombe and Tony Roche), but he lost both singles matches (against Fred Stolle and Roy Emerson) as India were defeated 4-1. Krishnan was a regular player on the Indian Davis Cup team between 1953 and 1975, compiling a 69-28 winning record (50-19 in singles and 19-9 in doubles).

Krishnan also won the Indian national tennis title for eight years at a stretch.

Krishnan now lives in Chennai, where he manages a gas distribution agency. His son Ramesh Krishnan emulated his father's achievement of winning the Wimbledon junior title, and went on to become a leading Indian tennis player in the 1980s.

[edit] Career highlights

1954 - Wimbledon junior champion.
1960 - Wimbledon - reached the semi-finals (losing to eventual champion Neale Fraser).
1961 - Wimbledon - was seeded 4th and reached the semi-finals for the second consecutive time (losing to eventual champion Rod Laver).
1966 - Member of the Indian team which reached the final of the Davis Cup (lost to Australia in the final).