Congress' Karti Chidambaram urges Tamil Nadu government to honour tennis player Ramanathan Krishnan

CHENNAI: Congress MP and Tamil Nadu Tennis Association Vice President Karti Chidambaram on Friday wrote to Deputy Chief Minister of State Udhayanidhi Stalin and urged him to honour tennis player Ramanathan Krishnan for his outstanding contributions to Indian tennis.

In the letter dated October 4, Chidambaram listed Krishnan's remarkable achievements, including being the only Indian to reach the semi-finals in the singles category of any Grand Slam title, holding an unbroken record of 50 wins in Davis Cup and winning six All India Championship titles. He urged the Tamil Nadu government to give due respect to Ramanathan Krishnan.

"It was a pleasure to see you at the recent event at Nungambakkam Tennis Stadium following your appointment as Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. Congratulations," Chidambaram said in the letter.

"I would like to commend the Tamil Nadu Government for officially naming and inaugurating the 'Vijay Amritraj Pavilion' at the SDAT Chennai Tennis Stadium in Nungambakkam. Amritraj has set a high bar for aspiring athletes, and naming the pavilion in his honor is a fitting tribute to his contributions," the Congress MP stated in the letter.

"Additionally, I hope the State Government will suitably honor Ramanathan Krishnan, the esteemed doyen of tennis in India, who is also from our state and a source of pride for us. Krishnan remains the only Indian to reach the semifinals in the singles category of any Grand Slam title.

"He holds the unbroken record of 50 victories in the Davis Cup, and his six All-India Championship titles, along with eight final appearances, are unparalleled. He was a semifinalist at Wimbledon in 1960 and 1961, reaching as high as World No. 3 in Potter's amateur rankings. Krishnan became the National Champion at just 16 years old in 1953. Therefore, I request the Tamil Nadu Government to suitably honor Ramanathan Krishnan," Chidambaram added in the letter.