Premjit Lall
{{short description|Indian tennis player}}
{{Use Indian English|date=January 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}}
{{Infobox tennis biography
|name= Premjit Lall
|fullname = Premjit J. Lall
|image= Premjit Lall (1965).jpg
|country= {{IND}}
|residence=
|birth_date= {{birth date|df=y|1940|10|20}}
|birth_place=Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India
|death_date= {{death date and age|2008|12|31|1940|10|20|df=yes}}
|death_place=Kolkata, West Bengal, India
|height=
|turnedpro=
|retired= 1979
|coach=
|plays=Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
|careerprizemoney=
|highestsinglesranking=
|AustralianOpenresult = 3R (1962)
|FrenchOpenresult = 3R (1969)
|Wimbledonresult = 3R (1962, 1965, 1970)
|USOpenresult = 2R (1959, 1964, 1969, 1970)
|Othertournaments=
|Olympicsresult=
|doublesrecord=
|doublestitles=
|highestdoublesranking=
|AustralianOpenDoublesresult = QF (1962)
|FrenchOpenDoublesresult =
|WimbledonDoublesresult = QF (1966, 1973)
|USOpenDoublesresult =
|Mixed = yes
|AustralianOpenMixedresult =
|WimbledonMixedresult = 2R (1958, 1959)
|Team = yes
|DavisCupresult = F (1959, 1962, 1963, 1966Ch, 1968)
}}
Premjit Lall (20 October 1940 – 31 December 2008) was an Indian professional tennis player from Kolkata, who was active during the 1960s and 70s.
Tennis career
Lall started his tennis career on the grass courts of the Calcutta South Club where he was coached by Dilip Bose.{{cite web |title=Road to Wimbledon: An introduction to the Calcutta South Club |url=https://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/news/articles/2016-04-05/road_to_wimbledon_an_introduction_to_the_calcutta_south_club.html |website=Wimbledon |publisher=AELTC |date=5 April 2016 |access-date=18 August 2018 |archive-date=25 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181025175015/https://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/news/articles/2016-04-05/road_to_wimbledon_an_introduction_to_the_calcutta_south_club.html |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=Premjit Lall is no more |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/1090101/jsp/sports/story_10328596.jsp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025201650/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090101/jsp/sports/story_10328596.jsp |url-status=dead |archive-date=25 October 2012 |website=The Telegraph |date=1 January 2009}} Together with Jaidip Mukerjea and Ramanathan Krishnan they were called the Three Musketeers of Indian tennis.{{cite web |title=The man who serves |url=https://www.sportstarlive.com/tss2918/stories/20060506014204500.htm |website=Sportstar |author=S. Sabanayakan |date=6 May 2006 }}{{Dead link|date=April 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{cite web |author1=Monojit Chatterji |title=Big W crowns 50 years of fandom |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/1150719/jsp/calcutta/story_32419.jsp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150722221642/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1150719/jsp/calcutta/story_32419.jsp |url-status=dead |archive-date=22 July 2015 |work=The Telegraph |date=19 July 2015 |quote=It was the Davis Cup semi-final and our three musketeers - Ramanathan Krishnan, Premjit Lall and Jaideep Mukerjea - were facing the might of America led by Chuck Mckinley,...}}
Lall was a runner-up at the Boyss Singles event at the 1958 Wimbledon Championships, losing the final to Butch Buchholz. At the 1969 Wimbledon Championships Lall nearly caused a significant upset when he was leading first-seeded and world No. 1 Rod Laver by two sets to love in the second round but ultimately lost in five sets to Laver, who went on to win the title and his second Grand Slam.{{cite web |author1=Bud Collins |title=Rocket science |url=https://www.theage.com.au/sport/tennis/rocket-science-20090131-ge7nou.html |website=The Age |date=31 January 2009 |access-date=18 August 2018 |archive-date=18 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180818083837/https://www.theage.com.au/sport/tennis/rocket-science-20090131-ge7nou.html |url-status=live }}{{cite web |author1=Hari Hara Nandanan |title=Ramanathan Krishnan pays tribute to Premjit Lall |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/tennis/top-stories/Ramanathan-Krishnan-pays-tribute-to-Premjit-Lall/articleshow/3923346.cms |website=The Times of India |date=2 January 2009 |access-date=18 August 2018 |archive-date=7 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181007214646/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/tennis/top-stories/Ramanathan-Krishnan-pays-tribute-to-Premjit-Lall/articleshow/3923346.cms |url-status=live }} Lall competed in 18 editions of the Wimbledon Championships between 1957 and 1975.{{cite web |title=Players archive – Premjit Lall |url=http://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/draws_archive/player_profile/31b1f579-9f87-434e-8445-dc27555d9f24.html |website=Wimbledon |publisher=AELTC |access-date=18 August 2018 |archive-date=18 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180818182057/http://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/draws_archive/player_profile/31b1f579-9f87-434e-8445-dc27555d9f24.html |url-status=live }} In 1973 he won the Stourbridge Open at Stourbridge, England against French player Daniel Contet.
He played on the Indian Davis Cup team from 1959 until 1973, competing in 41 ties and compiling a record of 52 wins and 32 losses. He was part of the team that reached the challenge round in 1966 against Australia but did not play in the challenge round.
In doubles, he reached the quarterfinals at the 1962 Australian Championships and the 1966 and 1973 Wimbledon Championships, all with compatriot Jaidip Mukerjea.
Lall won the singles title at the Indian International Championships in 1961 and 1970 defeating Carlos Fernandes and Alex Metreveli in the respective finals.
Lall was given India's top sports honor, the Arjuna Award in 1967.{{cite web|url=http://yas.nic.in/yasroot/awards/arjuna.htm#Football|title=LIST OF ARJUNA AWARD WINNERS - Football {{!}} Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071225221945/http://yas.nic.in/yasroot/awards/arjuna.htm#Football|archive-date=25 December 2007|access-date=25 December 2007|website=yas.nic.in|publisher=Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports}}{{cite web|title=List of Arjuna Awardees (1961–2018)|url=https://yas.nic.in/sites/default/files/LIST%20OF%20ARJUNA%20AWARDEES.docx%2061%20-%2017_0_0.pdf|publisher=Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (India)|access-date=12 September 2020|df=dmy-all|archive-date=18 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200718084523/https://yas.nic.in/sites/default/files/LIST%20OF%20ARJUNA%20AWARDEES.docx%2061%20-%2017_0_0.pdf}} Lall played his final professional match in 1979.
Personal life
Lall was married twice and had two sons and one daughter. Following a stroke in 1992, Lall began using a wheelchair and had difficulty speaking.{{cite web |author1=V.V. Subrahmanyam |title=Premjit Lal - in a class of his own |url=https://www.thehindu.com/2003/02/06/stories/2003020600492200.htm |website=The Hindu |date=5 February 2003}}{{dead link|date=April 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} He died at his residence in Kolkata on 31 December 2008 after a prolonged illness, and was cremated at Tollygunge.{{cite web |title=Davis Cupper Premjit Lall cremated |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/tennis/top-stories/Davis-Cupper-Premjit-Lall-cremated/articleshow/3922775.cms |website=The Times of India |date=1 January 2009 |access-date=18 August 2018 |archive-date=31 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180831062138/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/tennis/top-stories/Davis-Cupper-Premjit-Lall-cremated/articleshow/3922775.cms |url-status=live }} In 2016, an invitation tournament named after him, was held in Kolkata in his memory.{{cite web |title=Tennis legend Tony Roche to visit Kolkata next month |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/tennis/tennis-legend-tony-roche-to-visit-kolkata-next-month/story-itVpV4FoF7jO4CC8VOEnPP.html |website=Hindustan Times |date=22 November 2016 |access-date=18 August 2018 |archive-date=18 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180818150555/https://www.hindustantimes.com/tennis/tennis-legend-tony-roche-to-visit-kolkata-next-month/story-itVpV4FoF7jO4CC8VOEnPP.html |url-status=live }}
References
{{reflist}}
Further reading
- Down the Line By Georgina and Premjit Published by Rupa & Co.
External links
- {{ATP}}
- {{ITF}}
- {{Davis Cup player}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lall, Premjit}}
Category:Indian male tennis players