In a cricket-crazy country like ours, it is very difficult for sportspersons in most other disciplines to get into the spotlight. Despite outstanding achievements in their specialised areas of activity, they do not get their due of even half the coverage in print and electronic media as the cricketers do.

But there are some honourable exceptions, tennis is one such sport. Despite not having any of its players in the top 50 in the ATP rankings, the country has continued to make waves in both team events, like the Davis Cup and individual tournaments like Wimbledon and other Grand Slam events.

If Lord’s is the Mecca of cricket, Wimbledon is a no less for tennis and London is twice blessed for being the home of these two great sports.

There is one thing that the Indians share with the British. That is history. And what is Wimbledon without its history? Indians have been part of the annals of Wimbledon since almost its beginning in 1877 though they have started winning titles only recently.

Two players who made India proud at Wimbledon in 2003 were Leander Paes (winner of mixed doubles in the company of Martina Navratilova) and Sania Mirza who won the girls doubles crown in the company of Russia’s Alisa Kleybanova.

India’s participation in Wimbledon for greater part of the 20th century was a story of stunning surprises and narrow misses, great expectations and fluctuating fortunes.

The distinction of being the first Indian to take part in The Wimbledon went to Sardar Nihal Singh way back in 1908. He was joined two years later by the two Fyzees — A A and AH — though records neither confirm nor deny that they were brothers. There was a lull for a decade before L S Deane and S M Jacob figured in the championships along with A H Fyzee in 1921.

A H Fyzee attained glory the following year by knocking out thrice champion but ageing Arthur Gore in the very first round. Fyzee then paired with Deane to reach the men’s singles semifinals in 1923, the same year in which Deane, with partner Sheppaered-Barren, reached the mixed doubles final.

Greater things followed after Ghaus Mohammad became the first Indian to reach men’s singles quarterfinals in 1939, the last championships before World War II. After the War, the Indians once again started making their presence felt at the Wimbledon in 1954 with Ramanathan Krishnan becoming the first Indian to win the junior singles crown defeating Australian Ashley Cooper. He had been the runner-up the previous year.

Premjit Lal, Jaidip Mukherjee and Ashok Amritraj finished runners-up at the junior level before Krishnan’s son, Ramesh emulated his father exactly a quarter century later.

Ramanathan Krishnan became the first Indian to reach the men’s singles semifinals in 1960, where he lost to Neale Fraser, the eventual winner. The following year, he made it once again to the last four stage defeating Roy Emerson in the quarters, only to lose to another Australian, Rod Laver, who lost to Fraser in the 1960 final.

Premjit Lal surprised everyone by taking two sets of Laver before losing.

The decline of Krishnan saw the emergence of Vijay Amritraj who blew away a golden chance of claiming the coveted honour in men’s singles in 1973 by letting go of the advantage he held against Jan Kodes, the eventual winner. Amritraj made it to the last eight in 1981 as well.

The year 1999 saw the duo of Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi carrying the Indian hopes forward. They figured in the men’s doubles finals of all the four Grand Slams, winning French open and Wimbledon.

These victories of Paes and Bhupathi opened the floodgates for India at the senior level. Bhupathi, joined by Elena Likhovtseva of Russia, clinched the mixed doubles honour in 2002 and Paes ensured that 50 percent share of the title remained with India by joining hands with 47-year-old legend Martina Navratilova in 2003.

While the men have been busy making waves, it was the women who had been fighting to get a foothold on the hallowed courts of the All England Club. That shortcoming was removed by the then 16-year-old Sania Mirza who partnered Alisa Kleybanova of Russia.