Ivan Lendl continued to be stoic as a rock displaying no emotion whatsoever, while Boris Becker charmed the tennis world by capturing Wimbledon at the age of seventeen - and repeated the incredible feat a year later.
The Australians had Pat Cash, while the Swedes had a wealth of talent in Mats Wilander, Stefan Edberg, Anders Jarryd, and Joakim Nystrom - not to be undone, the Indians had Ramesh Krishnan and Vijay Amritraj.
The two had kept India’s flag flying high in the world of tennis right from the Bjorn Borg and Rod Laver era - but one achievement, more than all else, took the tennis fraternity by storm.
In the 1987 Davis Cup singles tie against Argentina, Vijay Amritraj was literally staring down a barrel. Trailing by two sets and down 0-3 in the third to Martin Jaite, few would have given the Indian stalwart a chance - when all of a sudden, the tide turned in dramatic fashion.
In what is considered to be one of the most incredible comebacks of all time, the Indian rallied to win the third set – and went to defeat Jaite by bagging the last two sets to catapult India into the Davis Cup semifinal against Israel.
The Indian ace who played a cameo in the 1983 James Bond film Octopussy, had to then utilize his diplomatic skills to enable Israel to play the Davis Cup quarterfinal in India. His efforts reaped rich rewards as the Indians triumphed, before stunning the Aussies, at home, in the semifinals.
Yeah, the hosts did panic, as Wally Masur played the singles instead of Pat Cash - but the Australians were a formidable force to reckon with on home conditions, nonetheless - and India’s entry into the Davis Cup final was perhaps one of the greatest moments in the history of Indian sport.
It turned out to be a one-sided final in which the Swedes overpowered the visitors on a specially prepared indoor clay court - just the kind of surface that both Vijay and Ramesh dreaded playing on - but India had become a force to reckon with in the world of tennis.
In many an interview, Vijay Amritraj - and bothers, Anand and Ashok have made it abundantly clear that the credit for all of their achievements are due, in no small measure, to the steely resolve of one woman – mother Margaret (Maggie) Amritraj.
In his autobiography, India’s former Davis Cup captain writes,
While Ramesh had the support of his father, Ramanathan Krishnan (who was India’s first tennis icon), for the Amritraj’s, attempting to make it big in the world of tennis, was in many ways equivalent to taking a shot in the dark, as Vijay explains in his book.
Maggie Amritraj did more to promote Indian tennis than just assist her sons to become world-class players - the Britannia Amritraj Tennis Academy, which she helped set up, also shaped the careers of Leander Paes and Somdev Devvarman before closing down in 2003.
In a country, where most parents are still apprehensive about allowing their children to pursue sporting careers, the vision and untiring efforts of Maggie Amritraj will always shine like a beacon of hope to pave the way for more mothers to follow suit - and live their children’s dreams.
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