Vijay Amritraj: ‘The game has undergone a generational change’
Vijay Amritraj delivered a wide-ranging assessment of modern tennis during a Sportstar Hangout with N. Ram at The Hindu’s headquarters in Chennai on October 21, 2026, saying the game has undergone a generational change. He discussed shifts in surfaces, equipment, playing styles and player welfare over the course of the conversation.
Amritraj retired from professional tennis in 1993 after a career lasting over two decades and spoke from the perspective of a 72-year-old Hall of Famer and Padma Bhushan awardee. The former World No. 16 won 15 Tour-level titles and remains involved in the sport in various roles, including as the current president of the Tamil Nadu Tennis Association.
He listed multiple areas where the sport has transformed, naming surfaces, equipment, playing styles, pay parity and player earnings among the elements that have changed since his playing days. Amritraj framed those changes as part of a broader generational shift in how tennis is played and managed.
Addressing tactical evolution, he said the serve-and-volley approach common in his era has largely disappeared and pointed to altered playing conditions at Grand Slam venues. “The Wimbledon grass court is much slower like the French clay now. So, when you see the Centre Court on the last day, the baseline is completely chewed up but the middle of the court is pristine because they [the players] haven’t been there yet,” he said.
He cited physical and equipment-related factors behind the change in style, noting an increase in average player height and bouncier courts. Amritraj added that the tennis balls used nowadays are “six times heavier” than when he played, a development he said has contributed to players adopting two-handed backhands.
On the subject of player injuries, Amritraj said he attributes the problem to the rise of power at the expense of a more classical technique. “The way they strike the ball today, I look at them and see why they get injured. The shoulder, elbow, the wrist, everything is in it by the time they strike the ball. When we used to strike the ball, it was a lot more graceful,” he said.
Amritraj drew on his administrative experience — he served as President of the ATP Player Council from 1989 to 1993 — when addressing complaints about the calendar and tour structure. He framed the scheduling debate as one that affects different tiers of the sport differently.
“The packed schedule is supposedly for the Top 10 guys. They always have a choice. It’s important to allow the rest of the tour to survive on the ATP 250s and 500s that we have, so that we give them a chance to play,” he said.