Vijay Amritraj (born 14 December 1953) is an Indian sports commentator, actor and retired professional tennis player from Madras.[3][4][5][6] He was awarded the Padma Shri, the government of India's 4th highest civilian honour, in 1983.[7][8] In 2022, he was honored for his contributions to tennis in London by the International Tennis Hall of Fame and International Tennis Federation.[9] On July 20, 2024 he was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island.[10]
 Amritraj in 2017 | |
| Country (sports) |  India |
|---|---|
| Residence | Southern California, U.S. |
| Born | 14 December 1953 Madras, Madras State, India |
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Turned pro | 1970 |
| Retired | 1993 |
| Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
| Prize money | $1,331,913 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 399–308[1] |
| Career titles | 15[2] |
| Highest ranking | No. 18 (7 July 1980) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | 2R (1984) |
| French Open | 3R (1974) |
| Wimbledon | QF (1973, 1981) |
| US Open | QF (1973, 1974) |
| Other tournaments | |
| WCT Finals | SF (1982) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 264–218 |
| Career titles | 14 |
| Highest ranking | No. 23 (24 March 1980) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Wimbledon | SF (1976) |
| US Open | QF (1973, 1976) |
| Team competitions | |
| Davis Cup | F (1974, 1987) |
Early life
editVijay was born in Madras,[11] India to Maggie Dhairyam and Robert Amritraj.[12][13] He has two brothers, Anand Amritraj and Ashok Amritraj, who were also international tennis players.[14]
Career
editAfter playing his first Grand Prix event in 1970, Amritraj achieved his first success in singles in 1973 when he reached the quarterfinals at two Grand Slam events.[15] At Wimbledon, he lost in five sets[16] to the eventual champion Jan Kodeš and later that summer at the US Open, lost to Ken Rosewall after having beaten Rod Laver two rounds earlier.[17]
Amritraj beat Björn Borg in the second round in the US Open in 1974, losing to Rosewall in quarterfinals.[18][19] In 1979, he lost in the second round of Wimbledon to defending champion Borg after being up two sets to one and leading 4–1 in the fourth set.[20] He reached his career-high ranking in singles of world No. 16 in July 1980. In 1981, he reached the quarterfinals of Wimbledon before losing in five sets to Jimmy Connors.[21] He beat John McEnroe in the first round of Cincinnati Masters in 1984. Overall, he had five career wins over Jimmy Connors in their eleven matches.[22]
Amritraj was part of the India Davis Cup team that reached the finals in 1974 and 1987.[citation needed] Amritraj had a career singles win–loss record 405–312, winning 15 singles and 13 doubles titles.[23]
Acting career
editAmritraj has also pursued an acting career. His best known role is probably as the MI6 intelligence operative Vijay in the 1983 James Bond film Octopussy.[24] He also appeared briefly in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) as an unnamed starship captain.[25]
He was also a regular character in the NBC TV series The Last Precinct and the Yakov Smirnoff comedy What a Country!, as well as a guest star on various television shows such as Hart to Hart.[citation needed] He has since gone on to become a sports commentator, has been a judge at the Miss Universe pageant, and has developed a multimedia business. Amritraj also hosts a talk show named Dimensions with Vijay Amritraj broadcast on CNN-IBN.[citation needed]
Personal life
editAmritraj lives in Southern California with his wife Shymala and sons Prakash Amritraj and Vikram.[26][27][28]
Prakash and his paternal cousin Stephen Amritraj are also professional tennis players.
On 9 February 2001, Vijay was appointed a United Nations Messenger of Peace. He has been raising awareness on the issues of drugs and HIV/AIDS and has raised funds to fight the spread of AIDS worldwide.[29]
Filmography
edit| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1983 | Octopussy | Vijay | |
| 1985 | Nine Deaths of the Ninja | Rankin | |
| 1986 | Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home | Starship Captain Joel Randolph | |
| 2015 | Of God and Kings | Duke Bora Swain | |
Career statistics
editSingles performance timeline
edit| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | P# | DNQ | A | Z# | PO | G | S | B | NMS | NTI | P | NH |
| Tournament | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 1R | 2R | A | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 2 |
| French Open | A | A | 3R | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 1 |
| Wimbledon | 2R | QF | 2R | 2R | 2R | 2R | 2R | 2R | 1R | QF | 3R | 1R | 1R | 4R | 1R | 2R | A | A | 1R | 0 / 17 |
| US Open | 1R | QF | QF | 2R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 2R | 3R | 3R | A | A | 2R | 1R | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 12 |
Career finals
editSingles: 27 (19–8)
edit| Legend |
|---|
| Grand Slam (0) |
| ATP Masters Series (0) |
| ATP Tour (15) |
| Result | W/L | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1–0 | Jun 1973 | Rothmans Chichester, England (ATP Challenger Tour) | Grass |  Doug Crawford
|
6-1, 7-6 |
| Win | 2–0 | Jul 1973 | Bretton Woods, U.S. | Clay | Jimmy Connors
|
7–5, 2–6, 7–5 |
| Loss | 2–1 | Aug 1973 | South Orange, U.S. | Grass |  Colin Dibley
|
4–6, 7–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 3–1 | Oct 1973 | New Delhi, India | Grass | Mal Anderson
|
6–4, 5–7, 8–9, 6–3, 11–9 |
| Loss | 3–2 | Mar 1974 | Tempe, U.S. | Hard | Jimmy Connors
|
1–6, 2–6 |
| Win | 4–2 | Apr 1974 | Washington D.C., U.S. (ATP Challenger Tour) | Carpet (i) |  Karl Meiler
|
6–4, 6–3 |
| Win | 5–2 | Jun 1974 | Beckenham, England | Grass | Tom Gorman
|
6–7, 6–2, 6–4 |
| Win | 6–2 | Aug 1975 | Columbus, U.S. | Hard | Bob Lutz
|
6–4, 7–5 |
| Win | 7–2 | Nov 1975 | Calcutta, India | Clay |  Manuel Orantes
|
7–5, 6–3 |
| Win | 8–2 | Mar 1976 | Memphis, U.S. | Carpet (i) | Stan Smith
|
6–2, 0–6, 6–0 |
| Win | 9–2 | Sep 1976 | Newport, U.S. | Grass | Brian Teacher
|
6–3, 4–6, 6–3, 6–1 |
| Win | 10–2 | Jan 1977 | Auckland, New Zealand | Grass | Tim Wilkison
|
7–6, 5–7, 6–1, 6–2 |
| Win | 11–2 | Nov 1977 | Bombay, India | Clay | Terry Moor
|
7–6, 6–4 |
| Win | 12–2 | Sep 1978 | Mexico City, Mexico | Carpet (i) |  Raúl Ramírez
|
6–4, 6–4 |
| Loss | 12–3 | Oct 1978 | Cologne, West Germany | Hard (i) |  Wojciech Fibak
|
2–6, 1–0 ret. |
| Win | 13–3 | Nov 1979 | Bombay, India | Clay | Peter Elter
|
6–1, 7–5 |
| Loss | 13–4 | Feb 1980 | WCT Invitational Salisbury, U.S. | Carpet (i) |  Björn Borg
|
5–7, 1–6, 3–6 |
| Loss | 13–5 | Mar 1980 | Milan, Italy | Carpet (i) | John McEnroe
|
2–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 14–5 | Jul 1980 | Newport, U.S. | Grass |  Andrew Pattison
|
6–1, 5–7, 6–3 |
| Win | 15–5 | Nov 1980 | Bangkok, Thailand | Carpet (i) | Brian Teacher
|
6–3, 7–5 |
| Loss | 15–6 | Dec 1980 | WCT Challenge Cup, Canada | Carpet (i) | John McEnroe
|
1–6, 6–2, 1–6 |
| Loss | 15–7 | Mar 1981 | Salisbury WCT, U.S. | Carpet (i) | Bill Scanlon
|
6-3, 2-2, 4-6, 6-3, 4-6 |
| Loss | 15–8 | Aug 1983 | Stowe, U.S. | Hard | John Fitzgerald
|
6–3, 2–6, 5–7 |
| Win | 16–8 | May 1984 | Spring, Texas, U.S. (ATP Challenger Tour) | Hard (i) | Leif Shiras
|
7–5, 4–6 7–6 |
| Win | 17–8 | Jul 1984 | Newport, U.S. | Grass | Tim Mayotte
|
3–6, 6–4, 6–4 |
| Win | 18–8 | Jun 1986 | Bristol, England | Grass |  Henri Leconte
|
7–6, 1–6, 8–6 |
| Win | 19–8 | Aug 1988 | New Haven, U.S. (ATP Challenger Tour) | Hard | Zeeshan Ali
|
6–3, 6–1 |
Doubles: 29 (14–15)
edit| Result | W/L | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0–1 | Oct 1973 | New Delhi, India | Anand Amritraj
|
Jim McManus Raúl Ramírez
|
2–6, 4–6 | |
| Win | 1–1 | Nov 1974 | Bombay, India | Clay | Anand Amritraj
|
Dick Crealy  Onny Parun
|
6–4, 7–6 |
| Loss | 1–2 | Aug 1974 | South Orange, U.S. | Hard | Anand Amritraj
|
Brian Gottfried Raúl Ramírez
|
6–7, 7–6, 6–7 |
| Win | 2–2 | Aug 1974 | Columbus, U.S. | Hard | Anand Amritraj
|
Tom Gorman Bob Lutz
|
walkover |
| Loss | 2–3 | Feb 1975 | Toronto, Canada | Carpet (i) | Anand Amritraj
|
Dick Stockton Erik van Dillen
|
4–6, 5–7, 1–6 |
| Loss | 2–4 | Mar 1975 | Washington D.C., U.S. | Carpet (i) | Anand Amritraj
|
Mike Estep Jeff Simpson
|
6–75, 3–6 |
| Win | 3–4 | Mar 1975 | Atlanta, U.S. | Carpet (i) | Anand Amritraj
|
 Mark Cox  Cliff Drysdale
|
6–3, 6–2 |
| Loss | 3–5 | Aug 1975 | Louisville, U.S. | Clay | Anand Amritraj
|
Wojciech Fibak  Guillermo Vilas
|
(not played) |
| Win | 4–5 | Sep 1975 | Los Angeles, U.S. | Hard | Anand Amritraj
|
Cliff Drysdale Marty Riessen
|
7–6, 4–6, 6–4 |
| Loss | 4–6 | Nov 1975 | Calcutta, India | Clay | Anand Amritraj
|
Juan Gisbert Manuel Orantes
|
6–1, 4–6, 3–6 |
| Win | 5–6 | Mar 1976 | Memphis, U.S. | Carpet (i) | Anand Amritraj
|
Roscoe Tanner Marty Riessen
|
6–3, 6–4 |
| Loss | 5–7 | Mar 1977 | St. Louis, U.S. | Carpet (i) | Dick Stockton
|
 Ilie Năstase  Adriano Panatta
|
4–6, 6–3, 6–76 |
| Loss | 5–8 | Mar 1977 | Rotterdam, Netherlands | Carpet (i) | Dick Stockton
|
Wojciech Fibak  Tom Okker
|
4–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 6–8 | May 1977 | Masters Doubles WCT, U.S. | Carpet (i) | Dick Stockton
|
Vitas Gerulaitis Adriano Panatta
|
7–6, 7–6, 4–6, 6–3 |
| Win | 7–8 | Jun 1977 | London, England | Grass | Anand Amritraj
|
David Lloyd John Lloyd
|
6–1, 6–2 |
| Win | 8–8 | Sep 1978 | Mexico City, Mexico | Carpet (i) | Anand Amritraj
|
Fred McNair Raúl Ramírez
|
6–4, 7–5 |
| Loss | 8–9 | Apr 1979 | Cairo, Egypt | Clay | Anand Amritraj
|
Peter McNamara Paul McNamee
|
5–7, 4–6 |
| Loss | 8–10 | Jul 1979 | Louisville, U.S. | Hard | Raúl Ramírez
|
Marty Riessen Sherwood Stewart
|
2–6, 6–1, 1–6 |
| Loss | 8–11 | Oct 1979 | Sydney, Australia | Hard | Pat DuPré
|
Rod Frawley  Francisco González
|
walkover |
| Win | 9–11 | Mar 1980 | Rotterdam, Netherlands | Carpet (i) | Stan Smith
|
Bill Scanlon Brian Teacher
|
6–4, 6–3 |
| Win | 10–11 | Mar 1980 | Frankfurt, West Germany | Carpet (i) | Stan Smith
|
 Andrew Pattison Butch Walts
|
6–7, 6–2, 6–2 |
| Loss | 10–12 | Aug 1981 | Columbus, U.S. | Hard | Anand Amritraj
|
Bruce Manson Brian Teacher
|
1–6, 1–6 |
| Loss | 10–13 | Nov 1982 | Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. | Carpet (i) | Fred Stolle
|
Anand Amritraj Tony Giammalva
|
5–7, 2–6 |
| Win | 11–13 | Nov 1982 | Chicago, U.S. | Carpet (i) | Anand Amritraj
|
Mike Cahill Bruce Manson
|
3–6, 6–3, 6–3 |
| Win | 12–13 | Feb 1983 | Kuwait City, Kuwait (ATP Challenger Tour) | Hard | Ilie Năstase
|
Broderick Dyke Rod Frawley
|
6–3, 3–6, 6–2 |
| Win | 13–13 | Jul 1983 | Newport, U.S. | Grass | John Fitzgerald
|
Tim Gullikson Tom Gullikson
|
6–3, 6–4 |
| Loss | 13–14 | Aug 1983 | Columbus, U.S. | Hard | John Fitzgerald
|
Scott Davis Brian Teacher
|
1–6, 6–4, 6–7 |
| Loss | 13–15 | Oct 1984 | Stockholm, Sweden | Hard (i) | Ilie Năstase
|
Henri Leconte  Tomáš Šmíd
|
6–3, 6–7, 4–6 |
| Win | 14–15 | Jul 1986 | Newport, U.S. | Grass | Tim Wilkison
|
Eddie Edwards Francisco González
|
4–6, 7–5, 7–6 |
References
edit- ^ Vijay Amritraj Archived 5 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine at the Association of Tennis Professionals
- ^ webarchive ATP Tour 2009
- ^ Andrew McNicol (11 May 2018). "From James Bond cameo to biopic on his extraordinary life: tennis legend Vijay Amritraj to serve up another smash hit". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 26 July 2018. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
- ^ "Tennis legend Vijay Amritraj biopic in works". New Indian Express. 17 September 2017. Archived from the original on 26 July 2018. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
- ^ Dhananjay Roy (28 February 2018). "Sports champions say a big thank you to Mahindra Scorpio TOISA". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 18 April 2018. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
- ^ Lisa Dillman (2 August 1987). "TENNIS DIPLOMAT : Vijay Amritraj Helps Pave the Way for Israel's Davis Cup Team to Play in India Despite Terrorist Threats". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 14 December 2023. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
- ^ "Padma Awards Directory (1954–2014)" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs (India). 21 May 2014. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 February 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
- ^ "Top Male Tennis Players of India through History". Times of India. Archived from the original on 6 January 2015. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
- ^ "Vijay Amritraj honoured with Golden Achievement Award by ITF". The Hindu. June 2022. Archived from the original on 5 August 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
- ^ "International Tennis Hall of Fame". www.tennisfame.com. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
- ^ "Pride of Chennai - A list of people that make Chennai proud". Itz Chennai. January 2012. Archived from the original on 8 November 2014. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
- ^ "At home on every turf". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 29 July 2004. Archived from the original on 1 October 2007. Retrieved 9 June 2007.
- ^ "Maggie Amritraj passes away at 92". The New Indian Express. 21 April 2019. Archived from the original on 24 April 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
- ^ "Mother of Amritraj brothers, Maggie, dies at 92". The Times of India. 21 April 2019. Archived from the original on 21 May 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
- ^ "Results Archive | ATP Tour | Tennis". ATP Tour. Archived from the original on 4 November 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ "Results | ATP Tour | Tennis". ATP Tour. Archived from the original on 4 November 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ "Results | ATP Tour | Tennis". ATP Tour. Archived from the original on 4 November 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ "Bjorn Borg VS Vijay Amritraj | Head 2 Head | ATP Tour | Tennis". ATP Tour. Archived from the original on 3 September 2023. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
- ^ "Ken Rosewall VS Vijay Amritraj | Head 2 Head | ATP Tour | Tennis". ATP Tour. Archived from the original on 27 December 2022. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
- ^ "Results | ATP Tour | Tennis". ATP Tour. Archived from the original on 28 December 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ "Results | ATP Tour | Tennis". ATP Tour. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ "Jimmy Connors VS Vijay Amritraj | Head 2 Head | H2H | ATP Tour | Tennis". ATP Tour. Archived from the original on 23 February 2023. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ "Vijay Amritraj | FedEx ATP Win/Loss | ATP Tour | Tennis". ATP Tour. Archived from the original on 7 July 2024. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ "MI6 allies". Archived from the original on 2 February 2010. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
- ^ "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) - IMDb". IMDb. Archived from the original on 7 July 2024. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
- ^ Lidz, Franz (31 March 1986). "Tennis Player Vijay Amritraj Is as Fine on Film As He Is on the Court". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 29 June 2013.
- ^ "Honeymoon over for Amritraj". The Southeast Missourian. Archived from the original on 29 September 2021. Retrieved 29 June 2013.
- ^ "Amritrajs' Big-Fat Wedding in Colombo". Fashion Scandal. 4 November 2012. Archived from the original on 3 July 2013. Retrieved 29 June 2013.
- ^ "Messengers of Peace". Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General. Archived from the original on 26 December 2002. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
- ^ "The Vijay Amritraj Foundation". Archived from the original on 11 July 2015. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
- ^ "Look to the Stars". Archived from the original on 2 July 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
