Top 5 Indian Men's Singles Players with career-best ATP rankings

Overview

• Vijay Amritraj is the highest ranked Indian Men's Singles player of all time (18), as per the ATP rankings
• Ramesh Krishnan wasn't too far behind, as he was ranked 23rd in the world in the 1980s at his prime
• Among the 21st century players, India's Somdev Devvarman and Sumit Nagal ranked under 100 and the best since Amritraj and Krishnan

From the 1970s, India has produced some fine Tennis players. Most of them have succeeded as Doubles and Mixed Doubles players, as succeeding in the Singles category is totally different. Some of India's biggest achievements in Tennis have come in the Doubles and Mixed Doubles categories.

Legends like Mahesh Bhupathi, Leander Paes, Sania Mirza, and others have made a name for themselves in the Doubles Category. Among them, only Paes had a fine career in the Singles category, who won an ATP title and an Olympic Bronze Medal.

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In fact, only a handful of Indian Men's Singles players have even won an ATP title. In the Grand Slams, Indian players have fared badly. In the 21st century, the quality has only reduced, although there are some highly promising players emerging lately.

Top 5 Indian Men's Singles Players with career-best ATP rankings

Sashi Menon

Sashi Menon achieved a career-best ATP ranking of 71 on the 21st of October in 1975, just a month after breaking into the Top 100. Sashi turned pro in 1970 and had a career for 15 years till he retired in 1985. While Menon was ranked decently in the 1970s, he was never able to win any ATP title.

Sumit Nagal

Sumit Nagal achieved a career-best ATP ranking of 68 on the 15th of July 2024. The star player turned pro in 2013 and has been one of India's best singles players since then. While Nagal hasn't won an ATP title to date, he became the first Indian Men's Singles players to win an Australian Open match against a seeded player in 2024 for the first time since 1989.

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Somdev Devvarman

Somdev Devvarman was India's best Men's Singles player for a major part of the 2010s. At his best, the Southpaw was ranked 62 in the ATP Singles Rankings. He reached there on the 25th of July in 2011. Devvarman turned pro in 2002 and had a career of 14 years till he retired in 2016. To date, he's one of the best Tennis players produced by India.

Ramesh Krishnan

Ramesh Krishnan is one of the most popular Indian players who inspired many to choose Tennis as a career option. Krishnan achieved a career-high ATP ranking of 23 on the 28th of January in 1985. Krishnan turned pro in 1976 and played for 17 years till he retired in 1993 along with Vijay Amritraj. In his fine career, Krishnan won 8 ATP titles, the second most for an Indian player.

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Vijay Amritraj

Vijay Amritraj is easily the most successful Indian Men's Singles Tennis player. At his best, Amritraj was ranked 18th in the ATP Men's Singles category, the best for an Indian. To date, he's the only Indian to be in the Top 20 of the Men's ATP Singles rankings. Vijay turned pro in 1970 and had a career of whopping 23 years till he retired in 1993. He won 15 ATP titles, the most for an Indian by a margin.