Vijay Amritraj Biography 
Vijay Amritraj is a former Indian Tennis player. He was born on 14th December 1950 in Chennai, Tamilnadu. His parents are Maggie Dhairyam and Robert Amritraj. Ashok Amritraj and Anand Amritraj are his two brothers. He studied at Don Bosco School, Egmore, Chennai. His brothers were the first Indians to participate in International Tennis. He is married to Shyamala. They have two sons namely Prakash Amritraj and Vikram Amritraj. He is also a sports commentator and an actor. He received Padma Shri award in 1983.
Vijay played his first grand prix event in 1970. In 1973, he got his first victory in two Grand Slam competitions at the stage of quarter final. But he lost to the champion Jan Kodes in the fifth set. In US open, he won the initial round against Rod Laver, but he was defeated by the great champion Ken Rosewall in the quarter final match. In 1980, he was in 16th rank among the world tennis players. This was his highest position in his career. In 1981, he again reached quarterfinal in the Wimbledon, but Jimmy Connors defeated him in five sets.
He formed the Indian tennis team with Jasjit Singh, Shashi Menon, and his brother Anand Amritraj in 1974. He was the captain of this team. They played Davis cup for second time and reached up to final. The final match of Davis Cup in 1987 was his most wonderful match against Martin Jaite of Argentina.
Vijay Amritraj also had a brief acting career. He acted with Roger Moore in the James Bond film Octopussy. He also appeared in Star Trek IV, The Voyage Home as a star ship captain. He acted in NBC TV Series The Last Precinct, and the Yakov Smirnoff’s comedy program named What a Country. He also attended various TV shows as a guest star. He is a very good sports commentator.
He completed his assignment as a United Nations Messenger of Peace. He founded Vijay Amritraj Foundation in 2006. The foundation's aim is to provide the help, hope and healing to the innocent victims suffering from disease, struggle and circumstance in India. “In giving we receive” is the slogan of this foundation and they promise to make a real difference for those who are most in need of the helping hand of humanity.
Published: N/A
Updated: December 30, 2012
