List of Indian tennis medalists at Asian Games

Rohan Bopanna-Rutuja Bhosale pair clinched the only gold medal in tennis at Asian Games 2023.

Tennis has always been a popular sport in India since the days of Ramanathan Krishnan. The legendary athlete won several accolades in his playing days and is the only Indian to reach the semi-finals at the Wimbledon Championships.

When it comes to Asian Games India’s first medal was a bronze at the 1966 edition in Bangkok in the men’s doubles event. Shiv Prakash Mishra and Vinay Dhawan combined together to clinch bronze and since then the nation has won several medals.

India can boast of a total of 34 medals in tennis at the Asian Games. Of them, 10 are gold, silver - seven, and bronze - 17. Below is a brief outline of India’s triumphs in tennis at the quadrennial extravaganza.

Men’s Singles:

India’s first brush with glory was in the men’s singles when Leander Paes won a bronze medal at the 1994 Hiroshima Games. Paes was also part of the men’s team that won gold the same year. The player from West Bengal has been the most prolific for India, bagging six golds across multiple formats. 

Other Indian men's singles medalists at the Asian Games include Mahesh Bhupathi (bronze in 1998), Srinath Prahlad (bronze in 1998), Yuki Bhambri (bronze in 2014) and Prajnesh Gunneswaran (bronze in 2018). India’s sole gold medal came in 2010, won by Somdev Devvarman in Guangzhou. 

Men’s Doubles:

India’s first doubles gold came at the 1994 Hiroshimaa Games, when Leander Paes teamed out with Gaurav Natekar. For the two editions in 2002 in Busan and 2006 in Doha, Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi paired up to win gold. The years 2010 and 2018 were also fruitful for India. They brought home the big prize on these two occasions as well.

Somdev Devvarman and Sanam Singh won the gold in 2010, while Rohan Bopanna and Divij Sharan did the honours in 2018.

At the current edition of the Asian Games 2023, Saketh Myneni and Ramkumar Ramanathan have claimed the silver.

Men’s Team:

The Indian men’s team bagged a silver on home turf at the 1982 Asian Games held in Delhi. India has five medals in this format, with the best result being in 1994 at Hiroshima when it won the gold. On the remaining three occasions in 1990, 1998 and 2010, the Indian contingent secured bronze.

Women’s Singles:

Participation in the women’s singles format at the Asian Games has yielded one silver and two bronze medals. Sania Mirza won silver in 2006 at Doha and bronze in 2010 at Guangzhou. Ankita Raina won the other bronze medal at the 2018 edition in Jakarta. Mirza’s silver remains the best result, as Ankita Raina exited in the quarterfinals after losing to Japan’s Haruka Kaji in three sets in Hangzhou.

Women’s Doubles:

India has yet to enjoy significant success in the women’s doubles format at the Asian Games. The only notable achievement is the bronze medal won by Sania Mirza and Prarthana Thombare in 2014 at Incheon.

Women’s Team:

Likewise, the women’s team, too, has had limited success at the Asian Games. They won the silver at Doha in 2006 when current non-playing captain Ankita Bhambri was part of the squad. 

Mixed Doubles:

Coming to the mixed doubles format, India has won seven medals on as many occasions. Among them are three gold in Doha - 2006, Incheon - 2014 and Hangzhou - 2022. The first bronze came in 1998 in Bangkok, followed by a silver and bronze in 2002 at Busan, with the final silver being won in 2010 in Guangzhou.