Down Memory Lane: A look at India's performance in tennis at Commonwealth Games 2010

India won four medals in tennis at the Commonwealth Games 2010 in Delhi.

Tennis has appeared at the Commonwealth Games exactly once in the tournament’s modern history, at the 2010 Delhi edition, and it remains the only time the sport has featured on the programme.

Unlike badminton, table tennis and squash, which have found a settled home in the Games’ calendar, tennis has never been considered a natural fit as top players are committed almost year-round to the ATP and WTA tours, and scheduling a Commonwealth event around Grand Slams and mandatory tour stops is difficult.

Even the most prestigious sporting event, the Olympic Games, can sometimes be treated as a lower priority. Hence, choosing ATP/WTA 1000 events or Grand Slams over the Commonwealth Games has never been an option for the top-ranked players.

In 2010, the tennis fixture clashed directly with the China Open, which meant several of the CWG’s biggest names, including Lleyton Hewitt and Samantha Stosur, skipped the Delhi Games to prioritise ranking points.

The reason why the discipline featured in 2010 lies largely with India. As hosts, the country held considerable sway over which sports made the cut, and with a clutch of established professionals at the time, India had every incentive to add a sport where it had realistic medal prospects.

The gamble paid off in a way few could have scripted, with India winning 4 medals, including 1 gold, 1 silver, and 2 bronze medals. On that note, let’s revisit India’s heroics in tennis at the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

India’s performance in tennis at CWG 2010

Men’s Singles Gold Medalist – Somdev Devvarman

Somdev Devvarman was the standout story of the tournament. Fresh from becoming the first Indian since Vijay Amritraj to reach a Grand Slam men’s singles main draw, he arrived in Delhi in the form of his career and never looked troubled.

He eased past New Zealand’s Rubin Statham to reach the semi-finals, then held his nerve in the final against Australia’s Greg Jones, winning 6-4, 6-2 to claim India’s only tennis gold at the Friendly Games.

Women’s Singles Silver Medalist – Sania Mirza

Sania Mirza, competing on home soil despite having earlier considered stepping back from Indian tournaments, rode a wave of local support all the way to the final.

She swept aside New Zealand’s Marina Erakovic in the semis before running into Australia’s top seed Anastasia Rodionova in the gold-medal match.

It was a fiercely contested three-setter, with Rodionova eventually prevailing 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 to deny Mirza the gold, but her run to the final inspired the next generation of Indians, encouraging young boys and girls to pick up the racquet and represent their country.

Men’s Doubles Bronze Medalists – Mahesh Bhupathi & Leander Paes

Seeded first, the veteran pair looked every bit the favourites until Australia’s Paul Hanley and Peter Luczak upset them in the semi-finals.

Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes regrouped for the bronze medal match, where they faced fellow Indians Rohan Bopanna and Somdev Devvarman in an all-India contest and came out on top to secure bronze.

Women’s Doubles Bronze Medalists – Sania Mirza & Rushmi Chakravarthi

Pairing up for the doubles event, Sania Mirza and Rushmi Chakravarthi fought their way to the semi-finals before falling to the eventual silver medalists from Australia. Their run still yielded bronze, giving Mirza a second medal of the Games and completing India’s remarkable four-medal haul from the discipline.

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