Naresh Kumar made the fourth round of Wimbledon in 1955 before losing to the eventual champion and American No. 1 Tony Trabert. He was also a well-known sports commentator-cum-columnist
Naresh Kumar made the fourth round of Wimbledon in 1955 before losing to the eventual champion and American No. 1 Tony Trabert. He was also a well-known sports commentator-cum-columnist
Naresh Kumar, who famously mentored a young Leander Paes as India’s Davis Cup captain, has passed away. He was 93. He is survived by his wife Sunita, son Arjun, and two daughters — Gita and Preah.
“He was suffering from age-related issues since last week. I was told that his chance of survival was not very good. I’ve lost a great mentor,” Jaidip Mukerjea, who made his Davis Cup debut under the Kumar’s captaincy, told PTI.
Born on December 22, 1928 in Lahore in the undivided India, Kumar began his journey with tennis at the Asian Championships in 1949 before ruling the Indian tennis along with Ramanathan Krishnan for close to a decade in the 1950s.
His Davis Cup journey started in 1952 and went on to captain the side.
Wimbledon record
Three years later his biggest career high came when he made the fourth round of Wimbledon in 1955 before losing to the eventual champion and American No. 1 Tony Trabert.
As an amateur, Naresh Kumar has played a record number of 101 Wimbledon matches.
Leander Paes of India interviewed by Naresh Kumar during Asia-Oceania Group I Davis Cup tennis tie between India and Philippines at the National Sports Club of India (NSCI) courts in New Delhi on March 31, 1995.
| Photo Credit: Subramanium S.
He won five singles titles in his career — Irish Championships (1952 and 1953), Welsh Championships (1952), Essex Championships at Frinton-on-Sea (1957) and his title at the Wengen tournament in Switzerland the next year.
He played his final tournament at the Asian Championships in 1969.
Shaping Leander Paes
In 1990, Kumar as a non-playing Indian captain played a key role in including a 16-year-old Leander Paes in the Davis Cup team in their match against Japan and the rest, as they say, is history.
Naresh Kumar, clad in white trousers and T-shirts, was a calming influence during some great Davis Cup years.
An emotional Kumar ambling towards Leander Paes to hug him after his iconic fifth rubber win against France in Davis Cup quarter-final in Frejus (France) while Atul Premanarayan calling the moment for Doordarshan, would remain a fond memory for all tennis…
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