Genial with a finger on the pulse of contemporary tennis, veteran tennis star Jaidip Mukerjea is always a delight to chat with. Mukerjea has now written his first book, a memoir called Crosscourt, one that has made his 81st birthday even more special. In a chat with t2, Mukerjea talks about how the book was conceived and more.
What is the genesis of Crosscourt?
I just wanted to pen something about the older generation, like Premjit Lall, Ramanathan Krishnan and myself. People should know about our lives and how it was. During the pandemic, while staying at home, Sharmin (wife) asked me to write down my thoughts and I loved doing that. And, that’s how it all started. I have written it from my heart. It is spread over three-four chapters. First is my growing-up days and family, then my school days and then my tennis days, my friends in tennis and then a chapter on my beloved Calcutta. Calcutta for me will always be Calcutta... the old days of the ‘60s and ‘70s when Calcutta was an amazing place to be. We friends used to meet every day at Trincas. Dilip De was a close friend of mine. Habi Dev Varma and I grew up together.... We have kept up our friendship and we meet whenever possible. It’s a fast read and it has got a lot of photographs of not only me but my contemporaries, tennis players, and my mother. Deshbandhu CR Das is my great-grandfather. His wife (Basanti Debi) has had a lot of influence on my life. I have travelled a lot with her when I was young. I am also probably among the few persons alive who have met Mahatma Gandhi. Whenever he came to Calcutta, he would visit Basanti Debi.
What are your memories of meeting Mahatma Gandhi?
I was too young, I think about five-six years old. Once he was here to see Basanti Debi, my mother said someone very big is coming to the house and that I should be on my best behaviour. When he walked into the house in his dhoti, I told my mother, ‘You told me he is a big man, but he is a small guy’ (laughs). To that, Mahatma said: ‘Haan beta, main chhota aadmi hi hoon...!’ (Laughs)
The book must have been a nostalgic ride for you...
In hindsight, I could have written another 100 pages, but then it might have got a bit boring.
You’ve had such a glittering tennis career...
I reached the last 16 of all the Grand Slams. In fact, in Wimbledon, I reached the last 16 four times, but unfortunately, I couldn’t make the quarters in singles. But getting to the Davis Cup finals was a major achievement. It was the first time that India got to the Davis Cup final, in 1966... me, and (Ramanathan) Krishnan and Premjit Lall. In the important doubles, Krishnan and I beat John Newcombe and Tony Roche. They were the best team in the world at that point. Though we lost the tie 4-1, we won that match and the crowd gave us a standing ovation because no one expected India to win a match against the Australians. They were the four best players in the world — Roy Emerson, Fred Stolle, John Newcombe and Tony Roche.
Jaidip Mukerjea with wife Sharmin Mukerjea. Picture: B Halder
Jaidip Mukerjea at a book signing for Crosscourt Picture: Biswajit Kundu
(L-R) A six-month-old Jaidip Mukerjea!, Jaidip Mukerjea at the Davis Cup finals against Australia, in Melbourne, in 1966, Rod Laver and Jaidip Mukerjea, Jaidip Mukerjea with Margaret Court, (L-R) Tony Roche, Jaidip Mukerjea and Somdev Devvarman
Given that when you played tennis wasn’t a viable career option, what was the biggest learning from your years in international tennis?
See, the game changes every 10 years. Sometimes I sit in my office and see my tennis racquet and I say to myself, how did I play tennis? Ramanathan Krishnan was ranked three in the world (back in the days) and (with my tennis records), I would be in the top 20 and so did Premjit Lall. Nowadays, players can come back home if they have time off. I used to leave home in May and come back in October, just living out of a suitcase. We made London our base and took a flat. If you don’t play for one week, you lose money. It’s not the prize money, but each player had an appearance fee, depending on how good you were. For example, Rod Laver, the greatest champion for me, would come on an appearance fee of $1,500 and Krishnan, $800.
What are your future dreams?
When you play tennis, the ball doesn’t know your age. My theory is as long as I am fit, I will contribute to tennis. It is my life and has given me everything. We still have the Premjit Lall memorial tournament to carry on the legacy.