Indian tennis legend Akhtar Ali passes away

New Delhi , February 7 : Indian legendary tennis player and former Davis Cup coach Akhtar Ali passed away at the age of 83 on Sunday.

Akhtar, the father of India's current Davis Cup coach Zeeshan Ali, coached the players like Ramesh Krishnan, Vijay Amritraj, Anand Amritraj and Leander Paes. All India Tennis Association (AITA) mourned the demise of Akhtar and offered their heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family.

"The All India Tennis Association mourns the sad demise of Akhtar Ali who passed away today on February 7, 2021 at Kolkata, India. All members, office bearers, affiliates and representatives of AITA come together to offer their heartfelt condolences and prayers in this moment of grief. We all pray for peace to the departed soul and his family," AITA tweeted.

Akhtar played eight Davis Cup ties between 1958 and 1964 and also captained and coached the Indian team. Former Davis Cupper Somdev Devvarman recalled him as a passionate taskmaster.

"One of the first times I threw up during practice was with Akhtar sir at the South club in the summer of 1999. He always gave it his best and taught us to do the same. RIP Akhtar Ali, legend of Indian tennis," he tweeted.