It was a sturdy kind of love, SM Krishna's affair with tennis.
Karnataka's former chief minister played the sport competitively only briefly at the collegiate level, before turning to it socially. He was a regular at the Bangalore Club, where he often went for a quick game of doubles.
Krishna's passion for tennis was best illustrated in his tenure as president of the Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association (1999 to 2019). A game changer for the sport in the state. It was the combination of Krishna and businessman Sunder Raju, who was secretary for those five terms, that put Bengaluru on the global tennis map.
KSLTA, at the picturesque Cubbon Park, was a rundown facility until Krishna & Co launched ‘Vision 2000'. The only thing going for the state body at that point was location, which was prime. The spectator gallery was shabby, and the change rooms decrepit.
The first thing they worked on was the stadium — new courts, upgraded spectator ramps, health club, locker rooms, and a spanking new clubhouse. Tennis in the city finally had a home. They followed it up with an assembly of international events — Legends Tour that brought the incomparable Bjorn Borg to the city, the World Doubles Championship and WTA tournaments that saw American rockstar pros Serena and Venus Williams — grace the Cubbon Park facility.
"He wanted Karnataka tennis on the world stage," Raju said. "He allowed space for people to execute once he had signed off on the vision."
In the early 2000s, when KSLTA first began hosting big-ticket events, Krishna could often be seen in the stadium, late evenings, watching practice sessions. Sunil Yajaman, secretary, KSLTA, said the most far-reaching contribution of the Krishna-Raju team was to take the game to Tier II cities in the state. "It began in Kalaburagi in the early 2000s, Tumakuru, Chikkamagaluru, and Davanagere. Now we have tennis in some 12 districts," Yajaman said.
Krishna was a regular visitor to London during the Wimbledon fortnight in his younger days. He was an admirer of Aussie great Frank Sedgman, who claimed the Wimbledon title in 1952.
Mahesh Bhupathi, who shared a special relationship with Krishna, said his passion for tennis was second to none. "He helped bring the World Doubles Championship to Bengaluru. I saw him at Wimbledon many times; he watched us play," Bhupathi said. "I also visited him in the governor's residence in Mumbai, where he played tennis with my dad (Krishna Bhupathi)."
Bhupathi added: "He's a massive tennis enthusiast. Thanks to him for being the head of KSLTA, a time when a lot of good for tennis was done."