'Poster Girl' Lakshmi Mahadevan who defeated Khushwant Singh

CHENNAI: She was one of the first poster girls of Indian tennis, and played the game in an era dominated by men. Lakshmi Mahadevan, who won the Asian Championships at Kolkata in 1964 - and went on to be ranked No. 1 in India - was coached by TK Ramanathan (TKR).
"To me, being numero uno in the country was the biggest high," said Lakshmi. Having started off playing at the Gandhi Nagar Club, Lakshmi soon enrolled with TK Ramanathan in 1957.
"The flood-lit tennis court next to his house in Mandaveli was the place TKR would train us. TKR will kick-off the session with a 15-minute rapid volleying with him," said Lakshmi, vice-president of Tamil Nadu Tennis Association.
Lakshmi felt TKR's coaching methods and the personal interest he took in each of the wards were his hallmark. "He would invariably call up and instruct me to sleep by 8.30pm if I had a match the next day," said the 75-year-old.
However, TKR ensured it wasn't all work and no play for Lakshmi. "Every Sunday, we would be treated to a meal from Rayar's Mess or Ratna Cafe by him," said Lakshmi.
She may have started off playing the game just as a hobby, but once she finished her studies - Lakshmi took to tennis full-time. "In 1960, I played my first state tournament where I did well, and there was no looking back," said Lakshmi.
The biggest moment of her career was to arrive four years later. "We (TKR's son Ramanathan Krishnan and I) made our coach happy by clinching the men's and women's titles of the Asian Championships. In that year, both of us topped the rankings, a moment to cherish," said Lakshmi.
Despite having watched some of the best hold court, Lakshmi remains a big fan of Ramanathan Krishnan. "He brought a lot of grace to the game, and was extremely humble despite his achievements," said Lakshmi.
After the high of winning the Asian title in 1964 and subsequently the Ceylon championships that year, Lakshmi shocked many by retiring in 1965.
"I had a few health issues, and couldn't continue playing tennis," recalled Lakshmi, who played the game in a salwar.
Her retirement from the game by the time she turned 26 notwithstanding, Lakshmi had won a fair share of admirers which included the likes of yesteryear cricketers - Polly Umrigar, Syed Kirmani, and ML Jaisimha among others.
"There were quite a lot of fan mails which I used to receive. I remember an instance when a fan came up to me in Jaipur and asked me to sign an autograph on a Rs 100 note," she recalled.
Lakshmi also was close friend of late Khushwant Singh. "He (Khushwant Singh) once challenged me to a game of tennis at the Delhi Gymkhana. The match witnessed quite a lot of crowd, and he matched me short-for-short. It was a tough match, which I eventually went on to win," said Lakshmi.