Vijay Amritraj Height, Age, Wife, Children, Family, Biography

Bio/Wiki
Profession(s)	• Professional Tennis Player • Sports Commentator • Actor
Known for	Being awarded as Padma Bhushan—India's third-highest civilian honor for his outstanding contributions to sport in 2026
Physical Stats
Height (approx.)	6' 4" (193 cm)
Eye Colour	Light Brown
Hair Colour	Salt and Pepper
Career
Debut	Film: Octopussy (1983)
Tennis
Tennis
International Debut	Turned Pro 1970
Retirement Date	1990
Playing Style	Right-handed
Nature on Field	Aggressive serve-and-volley style
Favourite Style	Serve-and-Volley Game
Career Titles	• 15 single titles • 14 double titles
Grand Slam (men's singles results)	• Australian Open:2R (1984) • French Open: 3R (1974) • Wimbledon: QF (1973, 1981) • US Open: QF (1973, 1974)
Grand Slam (men's doubles results)	• Wimbledon: SF (1976) • US Open: QF (1973, 1976)
Career-high Ranking	• No. 18 (7 July 1980) (singles) • No. 23 (24 March 1980) (doubles)
Career Records	• 399–308 (singles) • 264–218
Awards, Honours, Achievements	• Arjuna Award (1974) for his outstanding early achievements in international tennis • Padma Shri (1983) for excellence and distinguished service in Indian sports • International Tennis Hall of Fame Global (2024) impact as a player and contributor • Padma Bhushan (2026) for Lifetime contributions to sports and public life
Personal Life
Date of Birth	14 December 1953 (Monday)
Age (as of 2025)	72 Years
Birthplace	Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Zodiac sign	Sagittarius
Nationality	American
Hometown	Southern California, USA
School	Don Bosco, Egmore, Chennai (1968)
Religion	Christianity
Social Media	• Instagram • Twitter
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Married
Family
Wife/Spouse	Shyamala Wenceslaus
Children	Son(s)- 2 • Prakash Amritraj (Former Tennis Player) • Vikram Amritraj (Former Tennis Player) Daughter- None
Parents	Father- Robert Amritraj Mother- Maggie Dhairyam
Siblings	Brother(s)- 2 • Anand Amritraj (Businessman, Tennis Player) • Ashok Amritraj (Film Producer, Tennis Player) Sister- None

Some Lesser Known Facts About Vijay Amritraj

• Vijay Amritraj was born and raised in Madras (now Chennai) into a Tamil Christian Nadar family.

• He belongs to a family where tennis became an important part of life. His brothers Anand Amritraj and Ashok Amritraj were also played as international tennis players.
  

  An old picture of Vijay Amritraj

• Vijay was a severely asthmatic child and spent alot of his childhood in hospitals. In an interview, Vijay shared that his mother, Maggie supported his studies while he was ill and later encouraged him to take up tennis despite his health problems.
  

  Vijay Amritraj with his mother

• In 1970, at the age of 16, Vijay turned professional and began a career that would eventually last more than two decades.

• In 1972, Vijay won the National Championship and began establishing himself as one of India’s leading Tennis players. He eventually won the national title three times.

• In 1973, at just 19 years old, Vijay Amritraj reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals and became the first Indian man in the Open Era to reach the last eight of a Grand Slam singles events.

• During the same season, he defeated the legendary Rod Laver at the US Open in a five-set match that helped him gain international recognition.

• In the same year, he also reached the US Open quarter-finals.

• In 1974, Vijay was the part of the team that reached the Davis Cup final. India decided not to play the final against South Africa because of its apartheid policy, so the team gave up final.

• In 1976 Vijay and his brother Anand Amritraj reached the Wimbledon men’s doubles semi-finals.

• In July 1980, he reached his career-best singles ranking and became World No. 18.

• In 1981, Vijay Amritraj reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the second time, eight years after his first appearance in 1973.
  

  A picture of Vijay Amritraj (left) from 1981 Wimbledon quarter-finals

• In 1983, Amritraj made his acting debut in the James Bond film Octopussy, where he played as Indian M16 named Vijay.

• In the same year, he was awarded with Padma Shri from Government of India for his contribution to Indian sports.

• In 1986, Vijay appeared in another film Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, where he played Starship Captain Joel Randolph that made him one of the few Indian tennis stars of his era to establish a career in international films.

• In 1987, he helped India reach another Davis Cup final, 13 years after the team’s controversial 1974 final against South Africa.

• In 1988, Vijay represented India at the Seoul Olympics and competed in both singles and doubles events.

• In 1993, after more than two decades on the professional circuit, Amritraj retired from professional tennis with 15 singles titles and 14 double titles.

• After retiring from tennis, Vijay built a successful career in television and media. He worked as a sports commentator, hosted shows such as Dimensions with Vijay Amritraj, served as Miss Universe Judge, and also developed a multimedia business.

• In 2001, Amritraj was appointed as United Nations Messengers of Peace, where he worked to raise awareness about issues including HIV and AIDS and drug cases. According to International Tennis Hall of Fame he is the only tennis player who received this honour.

• In 2006, Vijay founded the Vijay Amritarj Foundation to support disadvantaged people in India. The foundation works on different areas, including education, basic needs and providing help to people affected by disease and difficult circumstances.

• In 2021, Amritraj received the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s Golden Achievement Award and became the first Indian recipient. He was awarded his contribution not only as a tennis player but also as a broadcaster, administrator, promoter and humanitarian.
  

  Vijay Amritraj posing with his International Tennis Hall of Fame’s Golden Achievement Award

• In 2024, he was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in the Contributor category and became the first Asian man inducted into the Hall of Fame.

• In 2026, Vijay Amritraj w lias awarded with the Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian honour.

• Vijay Amritraj enjoys travelling and exploing new places in his leisure time.

• As of 2026, Vijay lives in Southern California, USA with his wife, Shyamala and sons Prakash Amritraj and Vikram Amritraj.