Kolkata: Former tennis player Naresh Kumar passed away in Kolkata at the age of 93.
Naresh tasted success as a player in the 1950s, reaching the fourth round of Wimbledon in 1955 before losing to Tony Trabert, the eventual champion. He won five singles titles in his career.
Born on December 22, 1928 in Lahore in the undivided India, Kumar began his journey with tennis at the Asian Championships in 1949 before ruling the Indian tennis along with Ramanathan Krishnan for close to a decade in the 1950s. His Davis Cup journey started in 1952 and went on to captain the side.
Naresh was behind Leander Paes’ emergence as the Davis Cup hero during his captaincy till he quit after the semifinals against Australia in Chandigarh, in 1993. He kept guiding Leander till he gained a firm foothold on the world stage.
He won five singles titles in his career — Irish Championships (1952 and 1953), Welsh Championships (1952), Essex Championships at Frinton-on-Sea (1957) and his title at the Wengen tournament in Switzerland the next year. He played his final tournament at the Asian Championships in 1969. Naresh Kumar, clad in white trousers and T-shirts, was a calming influence during some great Davis Cup years.
An emotional Kumar ambling towards Leander Paes to hug him after his iconic fifth rubber win against France in Davis Cup quarter-final in Frejus (France) while Atul Premanarayan calling the moment for Doordarshan, would remain a fond memory for all tennis lovers. A recipient of Arjuna Award, Naresh Kumar became the first tennis coach to receive Dronacharya Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000. In August, 2020, Naresh was conferred the Dronacharya award.
