India didn’t have a great sporting year in 2009 – at least it all seemed quite inadequate after the three-medal Olympic Games of 2008. But there were some important feats, most encouragingly by younger sportspersons in tennis, badminton and boxing. My sportspersons of the year 2009:
Saina Nehwal
The Chinese represent an unparalleled fear in badminton, and Saina Nehwal, the petite powerhouse of badminton, says she’s conquered that fear. Nehwal beat two Chinese players in a row, a rare feat, and won the Indonesia Open, a Super Series event. Nehwal is the first Indian to win a Super Series event, and she achieved her career high ranking of world No. 6. She got the Arjuna Award this year, but that was for her performances last year, when she reached quarterfinals at the Beijing Olympic Games.
Pankaj Advani
Pankaj Advani, the largely neglected achiever in Indian sport, continues to excel. He’s won the World Snooker Championship, he’s got the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna and the Padma Shree. All at the age of 24. Yet, not too many sports fan know of him. Regardless, he gave us another reason to not forget him, when he won the 2009 World Professional Billiards Championship in Leeds, beating defending champion Mike Russell in the final.
Somdev Devvarman
India’s top tennis star, a legend in the collegiate circuit in the United States, reached the final of the Indian Open in Chennai in early 2009, beating top players like Carlos Moya and Croat Ivo Karlovic on the way. There wasn’t much else to cheer on the ATP Tour in the year, though, except his maiden appearance in the US Open, where he lost to 24th seed Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany in the second round.
More rousing was his leading India to the World Group finals of the Davis Cup, after 11 years, when he – and Rohan Bopanna and Yuki Bhambri – won all the singles matches of the rubber.
Yuki Bhambri
At 16, Bhambri became the first Indian to win the junior Australian Open tennis title, and only the fourth Indian to win a junior singles Grand Slam. And the transition to the senior circuit was smooth – he won five ITF Futures title in seven months, and is clearly the man for the future.
Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi added more Grand Slam doubles titles to their count in 2009; Paes won the French Open and the US Open, taking his doubles tally to 10. Bhupathi won his 11th, the mixed doubles title at the Australian Open.
Vijender Singh
The Olympic Games bronze medal winner had another impressive year – Vijender Singh won a bronze at the World Championships at Milan in September, the first Indian boxer to do so. This took him to the top of the middleweight (75 kg) category in the International Boxing Association’s annual rankings.
In Other News
Advertisement
- The Indian football team retained the Nehru Cup and goalkeeper Subrata Paul became the star after the team’s 6-5 win over Syria through penalty kicks
- The Indian Olympic Association and the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee struggled to retain public confidence about their ability to deliver a successful Games next year
- The Indian hockey team won the Azlan Shah title and a bronze at the Champions Trophy.
