| Country (sports) |  India |
|---|---|
| Born | 17 January 1947 Karachi, Sindh, British India |
| Turned pro | 1964 (amateur) |
| Retired | 1979 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | Template:Format numeric span |
| Career titles | 18 ILTF/ITF |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | Template:Format numeric span |
| Career titles | 11 ITF |
| Mixed doubles | |
| Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results | |
| Wimbledon | 2R (1971) |
Nirupama Mankad (née Vasant; born 17 January 1947) is a former Indian tennis player. She is the first Indian woman in the modern era to play at a main draw of a Grand Slam. She was active from 1964 to 1979 and contested 25 finals and won 18 singles titles.She was one of the torch runners in the most famous spirit of freedom video that played on Indian television in the 1980’s.
Career[edit | edit source]
Nirupama Mankad is the daughter of G. Vasant, a leading tennis player in India in his time. She survives her husband, the late Ashok Mankad, a former Indian Test cricketer. Their son Harsh Mankad is an Indian Davis Cup player.[1]
Mankad won the Asian women's tennis championship in 1965 at the age of 17. She played Wimbledon junior event in 1965 and partnered Anand Amritraj in the mixed doubles event in 1971, reaching the second round. She took part in tournaments on ILTF European Circuit when she played in Europe such as reaching the semi finals at the Ilkley Open in 1970 where she lost to Corinne Molesworth who went on to win that event.[2] She was India's top ranked tennis player between 1965 and 1978, winning the national championship seven times during this time. She won the Indian government's Arjuna award in 1980.
Her best ranking was No 1, and was also a two-time Asian champion and a Fed Cup player.[3]
ILTF Career finals[edit | edit source]
Singles:25 (18 titles, 7 runners-up)[edit | edit source]
| Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Location | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1. | January 1965 | Asian Lawn Tennis Championships | Calcutta, India | Hard | Lakshmi Mahadevan
|
6–2, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 1. | January 1965 | National Lawn Tennis Championships of India | New Delhi, India | Hard |  Marion Law
|
2–6, 4–6 |
| Runner-up | 2. | January 1966 | Central India Championships | Allahabad, India | Grass | Template:Country data URSTemplate:Preview warning Tiiu Kivi | 9–11, 2–6 |
| Runner-up | 3. | January 1966 | Western India Championships | Bombay, India | Hard |  Carol-Ann Prosen
|
3–6, 6–3, 4–6 |
| Runner-up | 4. | January 1968 | ? | Bombay, India | Clay | Template:Country data URSTemplate:Preview warning Aleksandra Ivanova | 3–6, 6–2, 4–6 |
| Winner | 2. | March 1968 | Western India Championships (2) | Bombay, India | Hard | Rattan Thadani
|
6–2, 6–4 |
| Winner | 3. | December 1968 | Asian Lawn Tennis Championships (2) | Calcutta, India | Hard | Alice Tym
|
6–1, 3–6, 6–3 |
| Winner | 4. | February 1969 | Western India Championships (3) | Bombay, India | Hard |  Judith Dibar
|
8–6, 6–3 |
| Winner | 5. | December 1969 | Indian International Championships | New Delhi, India | Hard | Alice Tym
|
6–1, 3–6, 6–3 |
| Winner | 6. | February 1970 | Western India Championships (4) | Bombay, India | Hard | Template:Country data YUGTemplate:Preview warning Irena Škulj | 3–6, 6–0, 6–3 |
| Winner | 7. | December 1970 | Cricket Club of India Tournament | Bombay, India | Hard | Kiran Peshawaria
|
6–2, 6–3 |
| Runner-up | 5. | January 1971 | Andhra Pradesh State Championships | Amaravati, India | Hard | Template:Country data URSTemplate:Preview warning Tiiu Kivi | 2–6, 5-7 |
| Winner | 8. | January 1971 | National Lawn Tennis Championships of India | New Delhi, India | ? | Kiran Peshawaria
|
4–6, 6–1, 6–1 |
| Winner | 9. | March 1971 | Kenyan International Championships | Nairobi, Kenya | Clay | South Africa Jenny Paterson | 6–0, 6–0 |
| Winner | 10. | February 1972 | Western India Championships (5) | Poona, India | Hard |  Marilyn Tesch
|
4–6, 2–6 |
| Runner-up | 6. | February 1974 | Western India Championships | Madras, India | Hard | Susan Das
|
4–6, 2–6 |
| Winner | 11. | January 1975 | National Lawn Tennis Championships of India (2) | New Delhi, India | Hard | Susan Das
|
7–5, 6–4 |
| Winner | 12. | February 1975 | Western India Championships (6) | Bombay, India | Hard | Udaya Kumar
|
6–1, 6–1 |
| Winner | 13. | January 1976 | National Lawn Tennis Championships of India (3) | New Delhi, India | Hard | Susan Das
|
6–4, 6–3 |
| Winner | 14. | February 1976 | Western India Championships (7) | Bombay, India | Hard | Lakshmi Mahedevan
|
6–1, 6–0 |
| Winner | 15. | February 1977 | National Lawn Tennis Championships of India (4) | Bombay, India | Hard | Susan Das
|
6–4, 6–3 |
| Winner | 16. | February 1977 | Western India Championships (8) | Bombay, India | Hard | Amreeta Ahluwalia
|
6–4, 6–0 |
| Runner-up | 7. | January 1978 | Southern India Championships | Madras, India | Hard | Amreeta Ahluwalia
|
5–7, 6–4, 8–6 |
| Winner | 17. | February 1978 | National Lawn Tennis Championships of India (5) | Calcutta, India | Hard | Amreeta Ahluwalia
|
3–6, 6–1, 8–6 |
| Winner | 18. | January 1979 | Western India Championships (9) | Bombay, India | Hard | Amreeta Ahluwalia
|
6–3, 6–2 |
Doubles:19 (11 titles, 8 runners-up)[edit | edit source]
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References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ "All eyes on Harsh Mankad". The Hindu. 5 June 2000. Retrieved 3 May 2018.[dead link]
- ↑ Barrett, John. Tingay, Lance. West, Peter. (1971) World of Tennis 1971 : a BP yearbook. Queen Anne Press. London. ISBN 978-0-362-00091-7. p.270.
- ↑ "At 56, tennis coach Mayur Vasant finally dons India colours". mid-day. 18 June 2016. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
External links[edit | edit source]
- K. R. Wadhwaney, Arjuna Awardees, Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, 2002, ISBN 81-230-0286-0
- P.K. Datta, A Century of Indian Tennis, Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, 2001, ISBN 81-230-0783-3