Tennis legend Akhtar Ali, a father figure in Indian tennis, passed away here in the early hours of Sunday following prolonged illness.
Akhtar was 81 and is survived by his son, current India Davis Cup coach Zeeshan Ali, and two daughters.
Ill health
“Akhtar Ali passed away at 2:30 a.m. at his home. He had not been keeping well for the last few months. He was suffering from Parkinson’s disease and other health issues,” said BTA CEO Sujoy Ghosh.
Akhtar was hospitalised for a few days before being brought back home recently. He was laid to rest at Sola Ana Kabristan, Khidirpur.
Born on July 5, 1939, Akhtar made his mark in 1955 when he became the National junior champion and reached the junior Wimbledon semifinals.
He represented India in eight Davis Cup ties against Pakistan, Malaysia, Iran, Mexico, Japan and Monaco between 1958 and 1964.
He played alongside stalwarts like Ramanathan Krishnan, Naresh Kumar, Premjit Lall and Jaidip Mukerjea.
Akhtar, who was groomed by former Australian…