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MEDAL WINNERS FROM INDIA
YB WEB DESK. Dated: 8/7/2020 11:36:00 AM
Ramanathan Kris hnan
Ramanathan Krishnan (born 11 April 1937) is a retired tennis player from India who was among the world's leading players in the 1950s and 1960s. He was twice a semifinalist at Wimbledon in 1960 and 1961, reaching as high as World No. 6 in Lance Tingay's amateur rankings. Career Krishnan honed his skills under his father, T.K. Ramanathan a veteran Nagercoil based player. He soon made his mark on the national circuit, sweeping all the junior titles. Wimbledon In 1954, he became the first Asian player to win the boys' singles title at Wimbledon, beating Ashley Cooper in the final. In 1959, Krishnan played in the men's singles competition at Wimbledon losing in the third round to Alex Olmedo. Later that year, playing for India in the Davis Cup, Krishnan defeated Australia's Rod Laver (the Wimbledon runner-up) in four sets. These performances gained Krishnan seventh seeded status at Wimbledon in 1960, he reached the semi-finals losing to the eventual champion, Neale Fraser. In 1961, Krishnan reached the Wimbledon semi-finals by beating Roy Emerson in straight sets but lost in the semis to eventual champion, Rod Laver. Krishnan received his highest seeding at Wimbledon (No. 4) in 1962 but had to withdraw mid-tournament due to an ankle injury. Davis Cup Krishnan was a key member of the Indian team which reached the Challenge Round of the Davis Cup in 1966, whilst also reaching the Inter-Zonal final with the team on five other occasions, in 1956, 1959, 1962, 1963 and 1968. India surprised West Germany in the inter-zonal semi-finals with Krishnan beating Wilhelm Bungert (a Wimbledon finalist later that year). At Calcutta, in the semi-finals against Brazil, the two sides won two matches each and it all came down to Krishnan's match against the Brazilian champion, Thomaz Koch. Koch was leading two sets to one and was up 5–2 in the fourth set when Krishnan staged one of the most memorable comebacks.