Indian tennis players to appear in all four grand slams singles main draw in a calendar year

Sumit Nagal is the latest entrant to the elite list.

India has a rich legacy in tennis, highlighted by three Davis Cup final appearances (1966, 1974, and 1987), the most by any Asian country. Indian players have also been dominant on the international doubles circuit for over two decades.

However, these successes in team and doubles events have not translated into consistent singles campaigns, as only a few Indian players have regularly appeared in the singles main draw of Grand Slam events.

At the US Open 2024, Sumit Nagal became the first Indian player in four years to appear in the main draw of all four Grand Slams in a calendar year.

The last Indian player to achieve this feat was Prajnesh Gunneswaran in 2019. Let us take a look at all the Indian players who have appeared in all four Grand Slams in a calendar year.

1. Ramesh Krishnan (1979, 1983, 1984, 1988, 1990)

Ramesh Krishnan was the son of the legendary Indian tennis player Ramanathan Krishnan, and he carried forward the Indian tennis legacy from his father. Ramesh showed immense potential right from a young age when he won the Junior singles title at the Wimbledon and French Open.

In his senior career Ramesh reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon once (1986) and the US Open twice (1981 & 1987). He was also a key member of the Indian team which reached the Davis Cup finals in 1987. Ramesh reached the career-high ranking of 23 in 1985. During his professional career which spanned more than 15 years, Ramesh appeared in all four grand slams in a calendar year five times.

2. Leander Paes (1997)

Before dominating the doubles circuit, Leander Paes achieved considerable success in singles events as well. In addition to winning the Bronze medal in men’s singles at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, Leander secured one ATP title and achieved a career-high ranking of 73 in 1998.

From 1994 to 2001, Leander appeared in the main draw of Grand Slams a total of 15 times, with 1997 being the year when he competed in the main draws of all four Grand Slams.

3. Sania Mirza (2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011)

Sania Mirza is arguably India’s most successful singles tennis player. She has a career win-loss record of 271-161 in singles and is the only Indian player to win a singles WTA tour title. Sania reached a career-high ranking of 27 in 2007 and featured regularly in grand slam singles events.

At her peak, Sania defeated some of the world’s top players like Svetlana Kuznetsova, Vera Zvonareva, Marion Bartoli, Martina Hingis, Dinara Safina, and Victoria Azarenka. A wrist injury shortened her singles career, and she shifted her focus to the doubles to extend her tennis career. Sania appeared in the singles main draw of all four grand slams five times in her career.

Also Read: Top 10 all-time highest-ranked Indian players in ATP singles rankings

4. Somdev Devvarman (2011)

Somdev Devvarman rose to prominence in the late 2000s and made his mark in international tennis by the early 2010s. He reached the finals of two ATP-250 events, won the singles gold medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, and secured both singles and doubles gold medals at the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games.

2011 was a standout year for Somdev, as he performed brilliantly throughout the season and appeared in all four Grand Slams that year. He also achieved several victories against top 100 and top 50 players. One of his most impressive campaigns came at the 2011 BNP Paribas Open, an ATP-1000 event, where he reached the fourth round after starting from the qualifiers. Additionally, he attained his career-high ranking of #62 in July 2011.

5. Yuki Bhambri (2018)

Former junior world no. #1 and junior Australian Open winner Yuki Bhambri broke into the top 100 rankings in 2015. After his top 100 debut, his struggles with injuries and bad form hindered his performance.

But the determined Indian made a comeback and reached his career-high ranking of #83 in 2018. He appeared in singles main draws of all four grand slams in 2018 but could not advance into the second round in any of them.

6. Prajnesh Gunneswaran (2019)

Prajnesh Gunneswaran has won two ATP Challenger and eight ITF titles in singles. He rose through the ranks towards the end of 2018. He started the 2018 season ranked #243 and finished the season at rank #104.

He carried the momentum in 2019 and attained his highest career ranking of 75 in April 2019. He featured in the singles main draws of all four grand slams in 2019 but was eliminated in the first round in all of them.

7. Sumit Nagal (2024)

Sumit Nagal is currently India’s No. #1 men’s singles player. Nagal has six ATP Challenger titles to his name, four of which have come after his return from hip surgery in 2023.

2024 has been a breakthrough year for Nagal as he broke into the top 100 rankings in February 2024 after winning the Chennai Open. He also progressed to the second round of the Australian Open, defeating No. #28 Alexander Bublik in the first round. Nagal achieved his career-high ranking of 68 in July this year and featured in the singles main draw of all four Grand Slams.

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