From Wimbledon to Hollywood

Sports wasn't a career youngsters got into when the Amritraj brothers Vijay , Anand and Ashok -burst onto the scene. Of course, India has seen some great tennis players since then, but this trio started a lineage by themselves.Vijay and Ashok were among the first Indians to play international tennis. In 1976, Anand and Vijay were semi-finalists in the Men's Doubles Wimbledon.Now, all three are settled in the US -the family moved to the States a while ago. But they are all very much Indians, especially Chennaiites, says Vijay, as he recollects those good old days when winning the next match was all there was to life...
GETTING INTO THE SPORT
“My mother's side of the family was full of tennis lovers. She her self played tennis when she was in college. My father was a very good track and field athlete.
Anand started playing tennis first.He was a very good chess player too, quite a chess prodigy, I must add.But tennis was the sport that my par ents liked and they got us into the sport. In my case, I was very ill as a child and used to spend a lot of time in the hospital. I was severely asthmatic. So much so that my mother used to take notes from school and teach me in the hospital.
She'd do all my homework and used to sit with me for tests and other exams. Eventually , the doctors suggest ed that I take up an outdoor sport, and that's how I got into tennis. Sports as a career wasn't heard of at that time.
In fact, Anand and I became the first ever professionals in a sport in the whole country. But these things gradually changed over a period of 30 years. People now think that you can make a living by playing a sport. It was a slow change, but we are the ones who actually helped bring about the change,“ explains Vijay . “Everything we have achieved is a result of what our family did for us. Especially my mother, for being able to turn me around... it was completely their effort. We were playing tennis and winning in different parts of the world. By 18, I was the No 1 in Asia and by 19, I was in the World's Top 10. We didn't think about taking it professionally when we started,“ he adds.
GOOD OL' DAYS OF GROWING UP
“My father was working in the railways.We got to travel with officers in saloons.I don't think people would know what it is... that was like an entire bogey with five bedrooms just for you. All the three of us used to travel in those bogeys. The time we spent there was unforgettable.We also used to visit Bangalore regularly. But the best part was that we used to stay in the bogey itself, which was parked in the Cantonment station.“ Even though most of their conversation revolved around tennis, the brothers had other interests, too. He says, “We used to cycle in and around Sterling Road. Flying kites was a huge passion for us those days. We used to play cops and robbers with our friends -all the railway families' chil dren were around the same lo cality, so we were a big gang.“
FAMILY'S DECI SION TO MOVE TO THE US
All the three brothers have moved to the US, now. “Once I got the best in Asia, it was a question of how to improve further. I wanted to be the best in the world. And that could happen either in Califor nia or in Florida. So, I had to move to California. We had to get better and compete with the best. So, that sort of initiated the move,“ he says.
BEING THE STAR PLAYER IN THE FAMILY Despite the fact that all the three brothers played international matches and each has several wins to his credit, Vijay's achievement went that extra mile. In fact, Anand once said in an interview that Vijay was more successful as a tennis player. But Vijay is humbled by this statement.“I wouldn't have played for so long if Anand hadn't travelled with me. Anand and I travelled the entire duration of our careers. Probably , I just happened to do well enough,“ he smiles, adding, “The recognition goes to both of us. It was because we got along so well, we were able to benefit from each other's company .“
MEMORABLE MATCH WINS Having played for nearly two decades, Vijay has a lot of fond memories of his match wins. “I can't pick one, there are three wins that defines my career,“ he says, adding, “The first one was when I was in the final year of my high school, just before my 14th birthday.It was a big college tournament in Jain College and I was the first-ever schoolboy to win. Four weeks later, another Loyola College tournament happened, and I won that one, too.Nobody had won both these titles together. This was, in fact, the turning point. The second one came in when I was 18 years old. I won against Ramananthan Krishnan in the National Championships, and the third came immediately -when I was 19 years and I played in the US Open. I played for nearly 24 years, and 20 years just for the Davis Cup. I have seen several opponents who I've won against and lost against. With hundreds of those matches in my mind, the question here is tougher than figuring out the toughest opponent,“ laughs Vijay .

AMRITRAJS IN HOLLYWOOD
All the three brothers have a passion for films. While Ashok is the most successful one in the Hollywood scene as a producer, Vijay did a stint in James Bond and Star Trek movies. He was also a regular character in the TV series, The Last Precinct. “For the Bond film (Octopussy), I was picked out of Wimbledon to play that part. It was very exciting for me since I'd grown up watching those films. I worked on the film for 14 weeks and those days are unforgettable. I also got to be on Star Trek (Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home)! Later, I got to be on a talk show, and then hosted a show myself. But then I slowed it down. My agent used to say , `You can act whenever you want, but you can play tennis only when you are young.'“
BONDING WITH THE FAMILY
Even though the brothers are in different parts of the US, “we catch up for events and during family functions. We recently met for our father's death anniversary . We also got together for Ashok's birthday in February . But things change when you get married. Nothing really gets away from you... it is more a question of time spent. I spend all my off time with my two sons. I think there is no greater blessing than the fact that they want to spend it with me as well. Every 10 years of one's life is a capsule. When you have children, you realise that you are not the most important person in the world... they are! Nobody is qualified to be a parent until it happens. The best thing, for us at this age, is to focus on good upbringing.“
Vijay's son Prakash and Anand's son Stephen are also into tennis. So, how does it feel now to sit back and watch them play? “It was completely my son's interest. He either wanted to play tennis or basketball as he was good in both. He eventually took up tennis. He wanted me to coach him. A lot of things had to take a back seat since I was coaching him fulltime. He played the Davis cup for nine years and has been touring for 11 years.But he had to hang up his racket after his third surgery . Still, he did what he wanted to. Never stop someone's passion or dream, especially if it's your own kid. I am proud of whatever he has achieved till today,“ says a proud Vijay .
-Sharanya Cr