Akhtar Ali was many things to the Indian tennis community. A legendary coach. Mr Tennis. A father figure for generations of Indian players. Larger than life on the tennis court.
The Indian tennis great died on Sunday at the age of 81 due to multiple health issues, leaving behind and unmatched legacy. The glowing tributes from across the Indian tennis fraternity showed his impact on the generations, from the time of Ramanathan Krishnan and Jaidip Mukerjea to more recently with Somdev Devvarman and Sania Mirza.
As a player, Akhtar played eight Davis Cup ties between 1958 and 1964 and reached the junior boys’ Wimbledon Championships semi-final in 1955. He also captained and coached the Indian team. He guided India to two Davis Cup finals (1966 and 1974)
The Kolkata giant was best known for his coaching credentials, having coached the likes of Vijay Amritraj, Ramesh Krishnan and his son Zeeshan Ali, and virtually every top player who came from the city. But it was more than that, his mentorship extended to any and every player who he saw play.
“He worked with the best of Indian tennis and he was always a father figure for everyone. He used to give advice to Sania as well and his feedback helped especially when she was coming up… he would talk about big points, Wimbledon, what is the technique you need on grass and things like that. His wealth of knowledge was unlimited, tennis was his passion,” Imran Mirza, the father and coach of Sania Mirza told Scroll.in.
For Enrico Piperno, former player and coach of India’s Davis Cup and Fed Cup teams, Ali was the guru of gurus.
“I was nine years old when I walked into the Calcutta South Club 50 years ago and he was a larger than life figure there... from then to the day he left.
“He was the guru of gurus, a father figure to generations of tennis players and we all learned a lot from. Everyone knows his coaching prowess, he knew the game very well, motivated his students. When he coached he was on the court with you, no matter how long you were there. I have travelled with him in Europe, five months on end, shared a room with him and spent a lot of my life under his tutelage. He was very instrumental in making his son a tennis player who was world No 126 in the world, helped my career, Ramesh Krishnan, Vijay Amritraj…” the Kolkata player recounted.
Nitin Kirtane, a player from Maharashtra, had a very different interaction with Ali compared to the stars who came from Kolkata.
“I have seen since him right from my Under-14 days, my first real experience was during my first nationals at South Club in Kolkata where I lost in pre-quarters to Zeeshan, the top seed.
“Slowly my interactions grew, he was a person who was physically always there on the tennis court, he would come every day and watch all the matches, observe the players. The best part is that after the match, he would always go to the player and give some kind of tip on what can be improved. There was a tournament in Bombay and he passed by and gave me a very important tip on the volley,” Kirtane told Scroll.in.
Ali’s love for tennis transcended generations and sometimes his own limitations.
“He always had his racquet in hand. When you are older, it gets harder to spend so much time but not for him. A few years back I was playing a senior tournament and sir must have been over 75 years old and still he was there on court in the afternoon sun. There was a young boy practicing and he gave him some tips and drills,” Kiratne recounted.
“He was on court till about six months back, hitting with the kids. Even when he had a heart surgery, he said he is back on court hitting balls when I called him,” Mirza said.
Off court, he was just as much a gem as he was on court.
“Whenever Sania won any major match, he would be the first one to call up and congratulate us. He was very proud of her, whenever she saw any news about her, he would share and say she is making the whole country proud,” Mirza said.
“He loved talking about the game and was very helpful. He also had a great sense of humor, come up with one-liners which would go on to become a big jokes,” Piperno said recounting some of quips he made.
For Kirtane, one of the standout qualities was how willing he was to share his knowledge even as a time when he was Zeeshan’s coach. “Whenever a tournament was on, he would spend the whole day there watching every single match and was willing to impart his knowledge will all players, not just Zeeshan.”
“Zeeshan was almost a top 100 player, it was commendable that he developed a player single-handedly,” Kirtane added.
Piperno also shared a very interesting insight into the sport-loving Ali. “Something about him that very few people know is that he also won the squash nationals in Kolkata, which he entered on a lark. This was then we was playing Davis Cup for India, imagine that.”
Akhtar was conferred Arjuna Award in 2000 but the players he impacted have long said he deserved a Dronacharya, an award given by the government of India to recognize outstanding achievement by Indian coaches in sports, nationally and internationally.
Piperno, the president of the South Club in Kolkata, could not be there for the last rites as he was in Mumbai for a commentary assignment during the Australian Open but he requested the family to bring the body to the club because it was hallowed turf; a turf he loved spending time on... always with a racquet in hand.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!