Ramesh Krishnan
A stylish Indian tennis craftsman who used guile and touch to topple giants and carry his nation to the Davis Cup final.
Born 1961 (age 65)·Indian tennis player·Birthday: June 5·Baby Boomers
Biography
Ramesh Krishnan represented a different era of tennis, where finesse and tactical intelligence could dismantle raw power. The son of Indian tennis star Ramanathan Krishnan, he seemed destined for the court, proving it by winning both the Wimbledon and French Open junior titles. As a professional, his game was a throwback—a serve-and-volley artist with a sublime touch, often described as a magician at the net. His career highlights read like a series of calculated upsets, most famously defeating world number one Mats Wilander at the 1989 Australian Open. But his most cherished contribution was as part of the 1987 Indian Davis Cup team, where his crucial performances helped the underdog squad reach the final, capturing the imagination of a cricket-mad nation.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Ramesh was born in 1961, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Ramesh Was Born
The biggest hits of 1961
#1 Movie
101 Dalmatians
Best Picture
West Side Story
#1 TV Show
Wagon Train
Ramesh's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1961Born
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1966Started school
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1974Became a teenager
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1977Could drive
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1979Could vote
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1982Turned 21
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1991Turned 30
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2001Turned 40
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2011Turned 50
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2021Turned 60
January 6 Capitol breach; COVID vaccines roll out globally
Gas: $3.01/galHome: $298,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Levitating" — Dua LipaBest Picture: CODA
2026Age 65 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the Wimbledon and French Open junior singles titles in 1979.
- Defeated then-world No. 1 Mats Wilander in the second round of the 1989 Australian Open.
- Was a key player on the Indian Davis Cup team that reached the final in 1987.
- Reached the quarterfinals of the US Open in 1981 and 1987.
Did You Know?
He is one of only four Indian men to reach the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam in the Open Era.
He succeeded his father, Ramanathan Krishnan, as India's Davis Cup captain in 2007.
He runs a tennis academy in Chennai, India.
“My game was to use the opponent's pace and place the ball, not overpower it.”
