The year is 1973. Scientific communication and technology are witnessing exponential spikes. The first handheld mobile call is placed, the first computer monitor is introduced, ethernet and fibre optics are created, and the first human-scale humanoid robot is developed. Amidst these technological headways, tennis didn’t hold back from taking a significant step to enrich its glorious past. The works of Arthur Wallis Myers, Bud Collins, Ray Bowers, Joe McCauley, Lance Tingay, and Bobby Riggs stared at ATP archival, as the ranking system of men’s tennis was about to get digitized.
Jack Kramer was the then executive director of the All Tennis Professionals (ATP). Following his consultation with then-President Cliff Drysdale, an epoch-making move to publish computerized rankings was made. As a result, on 23rd August 1973, Ilie Nastase became the first World No.1 player based on the automated system. But the works of former pundits weren’t immediately discontinued. At regular intervals, they published their rankings in leading publications; oftentimes disagreeing with the computerized rankings. It wasn’t till 1979, that the ATP decided to roll out weekly ranking updates. It took another two decades before the players, pundits, and proponents unanimously agreed to follow the digital rankings.
The first ATP Rankings and The Indian Perspective
Tennis in India was entering a turbulent phase in the early 1970s. The stalwarts from the golden age of Indian tennis were in the twilight of their careers. After Ramanathan Krishnan, Jaidip Mukerjea, and Premjit Lall’s gradual fading away from the scene, all eyes were set on Madras’ Vijay Amritraj.
Having turned pro in 1970, Vijay’s rise to the Top 50 singles rankings within three years was a journey of grit. Early experience on the Grand Prix circuit by facing slam Champions like Stan Smith, Jimmy Connors, and Tony Roche was instrumental for the young Indian. When 1972 arrived, Amritraj’s affinity towards grass was evident. He finished as a runner-up to Alex Metreveli at the Kent Championships. The following year’s Wimbledon was the turning point of his career.
The Wimbledon of 1973 was marred with controversies as 81 ATP players boycotted the event for the suspension of Nikola Pilic by the Yugoslav Tennis Association. But it wasn’t enough to take out the tennis gusto among the fans as Nastase, Borg, Connors, Metreveli, and Jan Kodes were still in the draw.
Amritraj had a memorable run, taking out seventh seed Owen Davidson to make the quarterfinals. In the quarterfinals, his run ended after taking the eventual champion of the event Jan Kodes to five sets. Vijay backed his Wimbledon run with a title win at Rothmans Chichester (ATP Challenger equivalent) played on clay. A magical run followed in Bretton Woods. He defeated Rod Laver and Jimmy Connors en route to the titular win.
He then traveled to North Carolina, where he finished in the final four of the Tanglewood International Tennis Classic. Preparations for the forthcoming US Open showed promise, as he made the semis in Merion and finished as a runner-up at South Orange. It was at this juncture, the ATP released its first rankings. Vijay Amritraj was ranked No.43 globally and was the only Indian to feature in the Top 100.
Unseeded at the US Open, he made the quarterfinals for a second consecutive Major where he lost to fifth seed Ken Rosewall. After the US Open, he shot 23 places higher and entered the Top 20 for the first time. Almost a fortnight later, Vijay’s brother, Anand Amritraj became the second Indian to enter the Top 100 of the computerized ATP rankings.
In the next seven years, Amritraj had won 11 tour-level titles on the circuit. He reached a career-high ranking of No.18 in July 1980. Vijay’s career and proficiency in singles can be summed up by stating a simple statistic. When Mats Wilander, Vitas Gerulaitis, Guillermo Vilas, John Newcombe, and John McEnroe were ranked within the Top 5 of the ATP rankings, Vijay Amritraj had managed to secure at least one win against them.
The doubles rankings went live in February 1978. Between 1973 and 1978, the Amritraj Brothers secured title wins at Bombay, Columbus, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Memphis, and Queen’s Club (London). This phase included a semi-final run to the 1976 Wimbledon men’s doubles event. When the computer rankings of doubles were released, Vijay Amritraj was ranked No.45, Anand Amritraj was placed at No.62 and, Sashi Menon was ranked No.88. The latter had made the quarterfinals of the Australian Open in 1975 partnering John Andrews.
Menon had also won titles in Lagos, Mexico City, and Calcutta, as a result of which he achieved a career-high ranking of No.81 in doubles. Menon, and the Amritraj Brothers would collectively be a part of the ATP’s Top 100 doubles ranking till March 1979. Anand Amritraj would achieve a career-high of No.53 and finish with 12 doubles titles to his name; two shy of his brother.
As of March 2025, India’s highest-ranked singles player is Sumit Nagal, who finds himself in the Top 150 rankings. In doubles, six players find themselves in the Top 100: Rohan Bopanna (#22), Yuki Bhambri (#44), N. Sriram Balaji (#64), Rithvik Bollipalli (#74), Arjun Kadhe (#86), Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan (#94).