June 23rd, 2026: Vijay Amritraj was conferred the Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian honour, by the Hon’ble President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu, at a glittering ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan today in the presence of the Hon’ble Prime Minister and other dignitaries.
This is a moment of immense pride as Vijay Amritraj, one of India’s most distinguished sporting ambassadors and a true pride of Tamil Nadu, receives one of the nation’s highest honours. Born to Robert and Maggie Amritraj and raised alongside his brothers Anand and Ashok, Vijay Amritraj rose to become one of India’s greatest tennis players, achieving a career-high ATP singles ranking of World No. 18 in 1980.
A three-time National Singles Champion, he represented India with distinction over two decades and led the nation to the Davis Cup Finals in 1974 and 1987, helping place Indian tennis firmly on the world stage and inspiring generations of players to follow. His enduring impact on sport was further recognised when he was selected as an Olympic torchbearer at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.
Beyond his achievements as a player, he has been a respected commentator, philanthropist, administrator and global ambassador for the sport and the country. He initiated the Britannia Amritraj Tennis (BAT) programme, which nurtured talents like Leander Paes and Somdev Devvarman.
He served as President of the ATP Council and was appointed a United Nations Messenger of Peace, reflecting the respect he earned both on and off the court. His contributions have been recognised through numerous honours, including the Arjuna Award in 1974 and the Padma Shri in 1983. In 2024, he was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in recognition of his immense contribution to the game and his role in expanding tennis’s reach across Asia.
He shares this remarkable journey with his wife, Shyamala, and his sons, Prakash and Vikram Amritraj. Vijay Amritraj’s Padma Bhushan adds another landmark chapter to an extraordinary journey of achievement and service. As President of the Tamil Nadu Tennis Association, he continues to guide the growth of the sport with the same passion and commitment that defined his playing years.
Under his leadership, the Association successfully brought the WTA 250 Chennai Open, India’s highest-ranked international women’s tennis event, back to the city and launched The Next Level, a high-performance player development programme aimed at identifying and nurturing India’s most promising young talent. The Tamil Nadu Tennis Association and its Committee take immense pride in this recognition bestowed upon a man whose contributions have left an enduring mark on the game.