At the Rising Bharat Summit 2025, tennis stalwart Vijay Amritraj recollected his early days on the court, interactions with world leaders, and chimed in on the debate of India possibly hosting the Summer Olympics in 2036. The 71-year-old, an International Tennis Hall of Fame inductee, won 15 singles titles and achieved a career-high world ranking of 18 in 1980 in his illustrious career.

In addition to his 15 singles titles, Amritraj also won 13 championships in the doubles category. He was a critical part of the Indian team that made it to the Davis Cup finals in 1974 and 1987 and had even qualified for the quarter-finals of the Wimbledon and US Open in men’s singles.

“There have been great changes in the last 40-50 years, since I played, when I used to go out on tours and people used to ask me, ‘Yes you play tennis, but what do you do for a living?’ I could never answer that question until I won my first big tournament,” Amritraj said.

Amritraj reflected on the evolution of sport in India, addressing that most sports lacked recognition decades ago, and that it was not uncommon for athletes to be questioned about their “real” professions.

“When you look at sports in India, it’s always considered secondary after academics. You have to give a priority to the fact that sport is going to take you further than you could possibly think.”

Amritraj rallied to ring in a cultural shift on this front, to induce a movement that prioritises sports as a serious avenue for excellence and national pride.  He admitted the difficulty in changing mindsets, especially in a country where educational achievement has long been the primary marker of success.

“It’s a tough cultural-social issue to prioritise sports in India. But, there’s no gain without pain. If you can get to the top of the heap in a particular sport, the world opens up for you, and this needs to be understood.”

Personally though, Amritraj is no stranger to fronting challenges and embracing them. Whether it was competing on the courts of Wimbledon or trying something completely different in front of the camera, he has continually redefined what it means to be a sportsperson.

“New challenges continue to inspire me always. I want to keep getting better always. I believe that people strive to be better when they face a challenge. My father played singles tennis until he was 85. Sports can be a part of your life throughout. There’s no retirement. It’s about how you want to challenge yourself.”

He even starred in the 1983 James Bond film, Octopussy, where he played the role of MI6 agent Vijay, Bond’s contact in India.

“I starred in a Bond movie, did a screen test, and the reason I accepted to do so was not many people could do that while playing at Wimbledon simultaneously.”

Interviewing President Trump 

He also reminisced about one of his unique experiences, which was interviewing Donald Trump before his first term as U.S. President.

“I interviewed President Trump before his first term. It’s incredible that he is back for a second term. I think that he is working to a point where he is trying to rush through things that have always been in disarray. That to me is an issue of a second term President, because you know that there’s no chance of running for the position again.”

Weighing in on hosting the Olympics 

With India having made clear its intention to bid for the 2036 Olympic Games, Amritraj stressed on balancing both optimism and responsibility.

“From a standpoint of the country, I think we can be ready to host the 2036 Olympics. The hospitality and success will be second to none. I was very privileged to carry the Olympic torch at Seoul in 1988.”

However, he cautioned that hosting was a mere part of the equation, and that the true test rested in boosting the home contingent’s performance levels.

“Even if we are ready as a country to host the Olympics, we need to make sure that we make it to the top-5 in the medals count. That is the challenge and the most important part for me about hosting the quadrennial event. We will do a spectacular job and it’s important that we make it to the top-5 in the medal count. It’s not easy. But we need to do that,” he signed off.