Focus, determination and grit are all you need to succeed, no matter what you do, and Indian tennis legend Shiv Prasad Misra is living testimony of that.
Playing the game since the age of eight, the 73-year-old was recently awarded the Dhyan Chand Award for his contribution and dedication to the game, and he couldn’t be happier about finally being recognised for his work.
Born and brought up in Hyderabad, Misra says his father was the driving force behind his fascination with the sport.
“In the ’50s there was no concept of any coaches in Hyderabad or in India. So every day as soon as we came from school we’d pick the balls and watch the elders and other players, there were some all-India players too whom my father used to invite to play,” he says.
Getting to watch tennis greats play live also helped inspire him: “My father took us to Delhi to watch the greats like Tony Trabert. When you see great players like that — the world’s best, like Pancho Segura — something latches on to you; what have they achieved that you cannot?”
What Misra lacked in formal training, he made up for in drive, and his hard work bore fruit in 1956 when he represented the state at a junior-level tournament in Kerala. Winning every game there, he was chosen as the tournament’s Best Player, which only fuelled his drive to succeed. With a strong backhand game, he went on to become the State No. 1 by beating S.M. Sajjid, a title he held for 25 years.
Misra’s game improved, and his best year came in 1964 when he qualified to play at Wimbledon. “In the third round of the qualifiers, I came across a very tough opponent, South African Jackie Saul,” he says, “I lost the first set to him, and I thought, having come all the way here, I can’t just give up at the last leg. Automatically my game went up and I won the next three sets and qualified.”
But even with the success, Misra had to struggle to make enough for a living, at a time when not too much money was in tennis. “We used to scrounge for money, sometimes play exhibition matches for just 5 pounds and try to save some money. I used to live with friends, eat upma in the morning, rice and sambar for lunch... and still survive for long, 5-set matches.”
Misra eventually went on to play for Team India in the Davis Cup, and was later made captain of the team, which he led to victory against Brazil in Chennai in 2010. After losing their two singles matches on the first day, no one thought they would be able to make a comeback. “But we clawed our way back and won the doubles with Leander and Mahesh playing,” Misra says.
While his favourite contemporary player is Roger Federer, who he thinks has a “perfect game”, Misra thinks the money that the game has now hasn’t been all that helpful.
“Tennis now is mostly played on synthetic courts that last eight to 10 years,” he says, “At Wimbledon also, they’ve slowed down the court to attract more people. The past players who won because of serves and volleying, I don’t think they would be able to win there today. They see more rallies and less net play.”
About Indian tennis today, Misra says that while we do have good players in the game, players need to consistently perform and not just give up after winning a few small tournaments.
Citing Sania Mirza as an example, he says, “She’s a huge inspiration to all the women tennis players here. She has really improved and she’s playing some really good tennis now.”
And Misra, who still plays every single day, makes time to help upcoming talent, both by being the chairman of the Selection Committee at the All India Tennis Association as well as personally helping players with their game.
