Sumant Misra
Encyclopedia
Sumant Misra was an Indian tennis player.
Misra, who was born in Faizabad
, Uttar Pradesh
, played on the India
Davis Cup
team for nine years between 1947-56 and captained the team in 1952 and 1953. He reached the quarter-finals of the Wimbledon Men’s Doubles Championship (along with Jimmy Mehta) in 1947 and 1948 and the US National Doubles at Forest Hills
in 1947, being the only pair in the championships to take a set off Schoder and Kramer the winners, who had won both Wimbledon and the US Nationals at Forest Hills
that year.
He won the last All India Tennis Championships in 1944-45 and then went on to win the first newly christened National Lawn Tennis Championships of India that was held at Calcutta South Club
in Woodburn Park Road, in 1946-47 beating Man Mohan Lal. In 1952-53 he won the national championships again and was the finalist on three other occasions. In the 1947-48 final he was defeated by Lennart Bergelin
of Sweden
(in later years better known as Bjorn Borg’s
coach).
In 1972 Sumant Misra’s son Gaurav Misra defeated Ramanathan Krishnan
to win the National Lawn Tennis Championships of India held at Calcutta South Club, making them the first father –son to win the national championships.
Sumant Misra also won the men’s singles title at both the Ceylon and Malay Nationals in 1958-59 and 1959 respectively. Since there was no ATP Tour then, each country held their own national events. He was the finalist at the inaugural Asian Tennis Championship in 1949.
His game was dominated by a cannon-ball serve and a lethal backhand. Nicknamed ‘Tiny’, 89-year-old Sumant Misra carried the moniker like a crown on his 6 feet and 2 inches tall frame. Also called ‘the grandfather of Indian tennis’, Misra was initiated into the game by his father Sir L. P. Misra, then Chief Commissioner of Indian Railways. As a 14-year-old, his favourite turf was the Calcutta South Club. That’s where Misra met his contemporaries, Narendra Nath, Man Mohan Lal and Dilip Bose. However, Misra was the only one to participate in the junior national championship, the national championship and national veteran championship.
He was secretary of the All India Tennis Association (AITA, then known as AILTA) from 1963-66 and on the Committee of Management of ITF (International Tennis Federation
) during 1965-67.
Misra died on 3rd September 2011. He was 88.
Besides tennis, he was an accomplished player in squash racquets, and in later years a golfer with a handicap of 8. “Then, sports was seen as a hobby,” recalls Misra, who retired from Indian Aluminium as General Coordination Manager over two decades ago. He lived in New Delhi with his wife, Sharda Misra and younger daughter. . His elder son Gaurav Misra is a former national tennis champion and is the director of the Columbia University
's Dick Savitt
Tennis Center tennis in New York City, New York.
Misra, who was born in Faizabad
Faizabad
City of Faizabad , previous capital of Awadh, is the headquarters of Faizabad District and a municipal board in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India, situated on the banks of river Ghaghra . Faizabad has a twin city of Ayodhya, which is considered to be the birthplace of Rama...
, Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
, played on the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
Davis Cup
Davis Cup
The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Britain and the United States. By...
team for nine years between 1947-56 and captained the team in 1952 and 1953. He reached the quarter-finals of the Wimbledon Men’s Doubles Championship (along with Jimmy Mehta) in 1947 and 1948 and the US National Doubles at Forest Hills
Forest Hills
- Cities or census-designated places :United States* Forest Hills, Kentucky* Forest Hills, Michigan* Forest Hills, North Carolina* Forest Hills, Pennsylvania* Forest Hills, TennesseeSouth Africa* Forest Hills, Kloof, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal...
in 1947, being the only pair in the championships to take a set off Schoder and Kramer the winners, who had won both Wimbledon and the US Nationals at Forest Hills
Forest Hills
- Cities or census-designated places :United States* Forest Hills, Kentucky* Forest Hills, Michigan* Forest Hills, North Carolina* Forest Hills, Pennsylvania* Forest Hills, TennesseeSouth Africa* Forest Hills, Kloof, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal...
that year.
He won the last All India Tennis Championships in 1944-45 and then went on to win the first newly christened National Lawn Tennis Championships of India that was held at Calcutta South Club
Calcutta South Club
Calcutta South Club in Woodburn Park Road, Kolkata, India is a venue for lawn tennis. Davis cup matches are held here. It is in Bhawanipore locality of South Kolkata.There is also tennis training centre. The south club was established in 1920...
in Woodburn Park Road, in 1946-47 beating Man Mohan Lal. In 1952-53 he won the national championships again and was the finalist on three other occasions. In the 1947-48 final he was defeated by Lennart Bergelin
Lennart Bergelin
Lennart Bergelin was a Swedish tennis player and coach. As a player, for AIK, Bergelin won nine Swedish championship singles titles between 1945 and 1955, and the French Open doubles title in 1948. Bergelin is best known for his work with Björn Borg, whom he trained between 1971 and 1983, helping...
of Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
(in later years better known as Bjorn Borg’s
Björn Borg
Björn Rune Borg is a former world no. 1 tennis player from Sweden. Between 1974 and 1981 he won 11 Grand Slam singles titles. He won five consecutive Wimbledon singles titles and six French Open singles titles...
coach).
In 1972 Sumant Misra’s son Gaurav Misra defeated Ramanathan Krishnan
Ramanathan Krishnan
Ramanathan Krishnan is a retired tennis player from India who was among the world's leading players in the 1950s and 1960s.-Career:Krishnan honed his skills under his father, T.K. Ramanathan...
to win the National Lawn Tennis Championships of India held at Calcutta South Club, making them the first father –son to win the national championships.
Sumant Misra also won the men’s singles title at both the Ceylon and Malay Nationals in 1958-59 and 1959 respectively. Since there was no ATP Tour then, each country held their own national events. He was the finalist at the inaugural Asian Tennis Championship in 1949.
His game was dominated by a cannon-ball serve and a lethal backhand. Nicknamed ‘Tiny’, 89-year-old Sumant Misra carried the moniker like a crown on his 6 feet and 2 inches tall frame. Also called ‘the grandfather of Indian tennis’, Misra was initiated into the game by his father Sir L. P. Misra, then Chief Commissioner of Indian Railways. As a 14-year-old, his favourite turf was the Calcutta South Club. That’s where Misra met his contemporaries, Narendra Nath, Man Mohan Lal and Dilip Bose. However, Misra was the only one to participate in the junior national championship, the national championship and national veteran championship.
He was secretary of the All India Tennis Association (AITA, then known as AILTA) from 1963-66 and on the Committee of Management of ITF (International Tennis Federation
International Tennis Federation
The International Tennis Federation is the governing body of world tennis, made up of 205 national tennis associations.It was established as the International Lawn Tennis Federation by 12 national associations meeting at a conference in Paris, France on 1 March 1913...
) during 1965-67.
Misra died on 3rd September 2011. He was 88.
Besides tennis, he was an accomplished player in squash racquets, and in later years a golfer with a handicap of 8. “Then, sports was seen as a hobby,” recalls Misra, who retired from Indian Aluminium as General Coordination Manager over two decades ago. He lived in New Delhi with his wife, Sharda Misra and younger daughter. . His elder son Gaurav Misra is a former national tennis champion and is the director of the Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
's Dick Savitt
Dick Savitt
Richard "Dick" Savitt is a 6’ 3" and 185-pound right-handed American male former tennis player.Savitt was ranked 2nd in the world in 1951. That year, at the age of 24, he won both the Wimbledon Singles Championship and the Australian Singles title...
Tennis Center tennis in New York City, New York.