03/11/2025
Tennis Krishnan took blessings from The Mother for Wimbledon Juniors!
She played tennis even in 1958, when she was eighty. Of course, her feet by then had lost some of their fleetness, but her eyes were as keen as ever and her hand had lost none of its accuracy. What a control she had! She could place the ball exactly where she wanted. Having played with her, and being at the receiving end, I can tell you how much we had to run! Mother was full of praise for Ramanathan Krishnan, the Indian tennis champion, when she played with him in 1952. Krishnan himself still remembers it very vividly. As he wrote on August 20, 1984, in reply to a query: "Yes, I didhave the privilege of playing tennis with the Mother in the Pondicherry Ashram tennis court. It was during the last week of April, 1952 (I do not remember the date but am sure of the week, month and year). It happened just prior to my departure for the Wimbledon Junior championship for the first time. I went to take Her blessings." He was accompanied by his father. "We had a few games of singles followed by some doubles. Mother was regular with her tennis on the green cement courts facing the sea. I received a 'Dunlop' (Maxply) racquet from Her. I was 15 years old at that time and the whole thing was an education as well as inspiration to me." He might have been only fifteen, but he was already an artist wielding not a paintbrush but a tennis racquet. With his deft touch he could give Mother exactly the type of game she liked to play. No tennis lover needs to be told that Ramanathan Krishnan became the Wimbledon Junior champion.
