Former Indian Davis Cup captain Naresh Kumar dies

He was 93.

Kumar, who had mentored a young Leander Paes during his early years of playing as the captain of the Davis Cup squad, died after a brief illness owing to age-related complications.

He is survived by wife Sunita, a son and two daughters.

Born on Dec 22, 1928 in Lahore city of undivided India (now Pakistan), Naresh played his first tournament at the Indian International Championships in 1949 where he reached the semi finals.

In the spring of 1949 he reached the final of the Northern Championships in England before losing to Tony Mottram.

Later that year he made the final of the East of England Championships before losing to George Worthington. He played on the India Davis Cup team for eight years beginning in 1952.

He later served as team captain. In 1950 he reached the final of the Bombay tournament before losing to Narendra Nath over three sets to one.

In 1951 he reached the finals of the Ceylon Championships at Nuwara Eliya but lost to Iftikhar Ahmed Khan.

The same year he reached the final of the Midland Counties Championships at Edbaston, England losing to Australia's Don Candy.

He won two singles titles at the Irish Championships in 1952 and 1953.

He also won men's singles title at the Welsh Championships in 1952.

In his mentoring career, he became the first tennis coach to receive Dronacharya Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000.  

Wimbledon magic:

In 1955 he reached the fourth round in singles at Wimbledon which he lost in straight sets to the No. 1 seed and eventual champion Tony Trabert.

In 1957 he won the singles title at the Essex Championships at Frinton-on-Sea, England and in 1958 he won his fifth and last singles title at the Wengen tournament in Switzerland. He played his final tournament also the Asian Championships in 1969.

Reactions:

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee tweeted: " I am deeply saddened by the passing of Naresh Kumar in Kolkata. A great tennis player, he will be fondly remembered. My heart goes out to his family and loved ones. May they find strength in this difficult time."

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said: " When I was growing up Ramanathan Krishnan, Jaideep Mukerjea & Premjit Lall were the 3 musketeeers of Indian tennis. Before them was Naresh Kumar who just passed away. He was full of grace. A stylish player, great coach & commentator, and a warm person. I got to know him a little. "

TMC leader Derek O 'Brien said: " Just had the privilege of saying a final goodbye to an Indian sporting great, a fine gentleman, a true ambassador of #Kolkata and Bengal. Naresh Kumar (seen in pic with a galaxy of Indian #Tennis stars who worshipped him) Condolences to his family and admirers."

All India Tennis Association mourned and posted: " We have come to know about the sad demise of Indian Tennis Legend and former Davis Cup Captain Naresh Kumar. It's an irreparable loss to Indian Tennis. We pray for his eternal peace and our deepest condolences to his family, friends and fans around the world. "