| Country (sports) | India |
|---|---|
| Born | (1928-12-22)22 December 1928 |
| Died | 14 September 2022(2022-09-14) (aged 93) Kolkata, West Bengal, India |
| Plays | Right-handed |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 115/135 (46%) |
| Career titles | 5 |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Wimbledon | 4R (1955) |
| Doubles | |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Wimbledon | QF (1953,1955,1958) |
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
| Wimbledon | QF (1957) |
Naresh Kumar (22 December 1928 – 14 September 2022) was an Indian tennis player. He was the playing captain of theIndia Davis Cup team from 1955 to 1960. He was the non-playing captain of theIndia Davis Cup team from 1989 to 1993.
Kumar was born inLahore,Punjab,British India on 22 December 1928.[1]
Kumar played his first tournament at the 1949 Indian International Championships and reached the semi-finals. In the spring of 1949, he reached the final of theNorthern Championships in England before losing toTony Mottram.[2] Later that year, he lost toGeorge Worthington in the final of the East of England Championships. He began playing in theIndia Davis Cup team in 1952 and represented India for the ensuing eight years.[2][3] Kumar advanced to the final of the 1950 Bombay tournament before losing toNarendra Nath in four sets. He was the finalist in the 1951Ceylon Championships at Nuwara Eliya the following year, losing to Iftikhar Ahmed Khan. He also reached the finals in the 1951Midland Counties Championships at Edgbaston, England, but lost toDon Candy from Australia.[4][5]
Kumar won three men's singles titles at the 1951, 1952 and 1953Irish Championships. He also won three men's singles title at the 1951, 1952 and 1953Welsh Championships. Five years later, he won the singles title at theEssex Championships at Frinton-on-Sea, England. In 1958, he won his fifth and final singles title of his professional career at the Wengen tournament in Switzerland.[1] His best singles result at a grand slam tournament came at the1955 Wimbledon Championships,[6] where he advanced to the fourth round before losing in straight sets toTony Trabert, the No. 1 seed and eventual champion.[7][8] Kumar also advanced to the quarterfinals of Wimbledon's men's doubles tournament in1953,1955, and1958,[2][9] as well as the quarterfinals of its mixed doubles in1957.[10] He played his final tournament also the Asian Championships in 1969.[1] Kumar held a record of having played 101 matches as an amateur at theWimbledon Championships.[11]
Kumar was appointed captain of the India Davis Cup team in 1989 and served in that role until 1993.[2] He gaveLeander Paes his debut in the deciding doubles rubber againstJapan during the1990 tournament.[1][9] Paes andZeeshan Ali ultimately prevailed 18–16 in the fifth set to clinch the tie.[9]
Kumar was conferred theDronacharya Award in 2022, becoming the first tennis coach to bestowed the honour. He also received theArjuna Award in 1962.[1]
Kumar was married to Sunita until his death. Together, they had three children.[1][9]
Kumar died on 14 September 2022 inKolkata. He was 93, and suffered from unspecified age-related issues prior to his death.[1][9][12]
