India’s Asian Games tennis journey had already produced three medals before the Games came to Beijing in 1990 — men’s doubles bronzes in 1966 and 1978, followed by a men’s team silver on home soil in 1982.
At the 1990 Asian Games, another Indian quartet kept the team-medal run going.
Leander Paes, Zeeshan Ali, Rohit Rajpal and Srinivasan Vasudevan won bronze in the men’s team event, giving India its fourth Asian Games tennis medal overall and its second in the men’s team competition.
Beijing 1990
The 11th Asian Games were held in Beijing from 22 September to 7 October 1990, with tennis taking place from 24 September to 5 October at the Beijing International Tennis Center.
For Srinivasan Vasudevan, it was his second consecutive Asian Games tennis team medal. He had been part of India’s silver-medal-winning team in New Delhi in 1982.
But the other three names represented a newer generation of Indian tennis.
Leander Paes: A Teenager Beginning to Make History
Leander Paes was only 17 when he competed at the Beijing Asian Games, but he was already one of India’s most promising young players.
Earlier that year, Paes had won the 1990 Wimbledon boys’ singles title, defeating South Africa’s Marcos Ondruska in the final.
The year also marked the beginning of Paes’ long association with the Davis Cup. He made his debut for India against Japan in 1990, partnering Zeeshan Ali in doubles and winning a memorable five-set encounter. It was the beginning of what would become a remarkable 31-year Davis Cup career.
The Beijing bronze therefore came at the very beginning of a career that would eventually make Paes one of the most successful players in Davis Cup history.
Zeeshan Ali: The Experienced Youngster
Zeeshan Ali was only 20, but he already had considerable international experience.
He had represented India at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, and his career-high singles ranking reached No. 126 in December 1988. He was also a member of India’s Davis Cup team from 1988 onwards.
His junior career had been particularly impressive. In 1986, Ali was ranked No. 2 in the world among juniors and reached the semifinals of both singles and doubles at the Junior Wimbledon Championships.
At Beijing 1990, he was part of the Indian quartet that returned home with bronze.
Four years later, Ali would go one step further, winning men’s team gold for India at the 1994 Asian Games in Hiroshima.
Rohit Rajpal: A Young Member of the Quartet
Rohit Rajpal was the youngest member of the Indian team.
Born in 1971, Rajpal was beginning his senior international career around the time of the Beijing Games. He represented India in Davis Cup in 1990 and reached career-high rankings of No. 524 in singles and No. 353 in doubles in 1991.
His playing career was later followed by a significant administrative role in Indian tennis. Rajpal became a selector and, in 2019, was appointed India’s Davis Cup captain. He has also served as president of the Delhi Lawn Tennis Association.
Srinivasan Vasudevan: From Delhi to Beijing
Srinivasan Vasudevan was the link between India’s 1982 and 1990 team medals.
He had already been part of the silver-medal-winning Indian team at the 1982 New Delhi Asian Games. By the time of Beijing 1990, he had also established himself as a regular member of India’s Davis Cup team. His Davis Cup career ran from 1983 to 1991, and he was part of the Indian side that reached the 1987 Davis Cup final.
Vasudevan reached a career-high singles ranking of No. 166 in December 1986 and a doubles ranking of No. 178.
His bronze in Beijing therefore gave him consecutive Asian Games team medals — silver in Delhi in 1982 and bronze in Beijing in 1990.
The Second Team Medal
The Beijing bronze was an important continuation of India’s Asian Games tennis story.
Shiv Prakash Misra and Vinay Dhawan had opened India’s account with men’s doubles bronze in 1966. Shyam Minotra and Chiradip Mukerjea followed with another men’s doubles bronze in 1978. The 1982 Delhi team then won India’s first team medal.
In Beijing, Paes, Ali, Rajpal and Vasudevan became the second Indian men’s team to win an Asian Games tennis medal.
For Vasudevan, it was a second team medal. For Paes, Ali and Rajpal, it was the beginning of an Asian Games story that would continue into later editions.
And for Indian tennis, another generation had now found its place on the Asian Games podium.
Asian Games Fact File
- Edition: 11th Asian Games
- Year: 1990
- Host: Beijing, China
- Tennis venue: Beijing International Tennis Center
- Tennis dates: September 24 – October 5, 1990
- Event: Men’s Team
- Medal: Bronze
- Indian medallists: Leander Paes, Zeeshan Ali, Rohit Rajpal & Srinivasan Vasudevan
- Significance: India’s fourth Asian Games tennis medal and second men’s team medal
From Beijing 1990 to Aichi-Nagoya 2026
As the Asian Games return this September, Indian tennis will once again look to add to a history that began with a men’s doubles bronze in 1966. From those first pioneers to the Beijing 1990 quartet, every generation has added another chapter to the story.
The next chapter will be written at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games from September 19 to October 4.