Bengaluru's KSLTA Stadium renamed as S M Krishna Tennis Stadium

In a tribute to the late S M Krishna, former Chief Minister of Karnataka and long-serving President of the Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association (KSLTA), the state apex body on Friday (March 28) renamed the KSLTA stadium, housed in Bengaluru’s Cubbon Park, as SM Krishna Tennis Stadium.

Making the occasion momentous, scholarships worth Rs 12 lakh were awarded to 10 young and upcoming tennis players from Karnataka, KSLTA said in a media release.

Krishna's contributions to tennis

The renaming ceremony was led by the Leader of Opposition in Karnataka Assembly, and President of KSLTA R Ashoka in the presence of Prema, wife of late Krishna, their daughters Malavika and Shambhavi, Karnataka Minister of IT, BT, Science & Technology and Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, Priyank Kharge, Senior Vice President of KSLTA and international tennis ace and former world No. 1 in doubles Rohan Bopanna, who is also the Vice President of KSLTA. Also in attendance was Minister Radha Krishna and Karnataka Olympic Association President Govinda Raj, and Secretary Sports, Government of Karnataka Randeep D.

Krishna who was an avid tennis enthusiast, spearheaded KSLTA as its president between 1999 and 2019. He was also the Life President of AITA from 2015 till 2023.

With a flair for the sport and commitment to take it to the next level, Krishna was instrumental in upgrading the current KSLTA facility which was a rundown clay court. Under his leadership, the facility saw its glory days as it went on to don a new look and transformed into a state-of-the-art tennis stadium in the lush, green, heart of the city.

He was instrumental in bringing world-class events to Bengaluru including the Legends Tour, ATP World Doubles Championships and WTA Indian Open which saw the Williams’ sisters – Serena and Venus enthrall the Bengaluru tennis aficionados.

At the helm of tennis in Karnataka, Krishna ensured the sport went to tier-2 cities and other districts in Karnataka and today the ITF tournaments are held in more than 12 districts – making Karnataka the only state to go far and wide with infrastructure that can host international matches including ITF and ATP Challenger events.

Nostalgic Prema

Prema, nostalgic about her husband Krishna’s love for tennis, stated, “I remember, it was the parliament elections and when it was certain we were not going to win, he had already worn his tennis gear and was ready to go play few rounds. Such was his love for the sport and it is very important for one to play sport as it helps to stay mentally and physically fit. While my family and I are very happy and grateful to KSLTA for this tribute, I would like to appeal to the affluent community of Bangalore and the IT sector to invest in tennis courts and help young and aspiring tennis stars.”

New tennis complex planned

Speaking on the occasion, BJP MLA Ashoka, said, “SM Krishna loved this sport a lot. He would mention Wimbledon whenever I would go to his house. This stadium is a result of his hard work. He was our role model and we at KSLTA are very delighted to rename this stadium as SM Krishna Tennis Stadium. I am also happy to state that we have been allotted seven acres land by this government near the Kempegowda International Airport to build a state-of-the-art tennis complex and I am also happy to announce that every year, apart from hosting the SM Krishna Memorial Tournament, we will also give away SM Krishna Memorial Scholarship to upcoming tennis players form the state.”

Backbone of KSLTA, former Honorary Secretary Sunder Raju, who worked closely with Krishna to develop the sport in the state said, “Not only in Karnataka but tennis in India was routed through SM Krishna. We didn’t have the stadium as we see it today. There was an opportunity to host the ATP World Doubles Championship within a month of his election as the President of KSLTA in 1999-2000. He promptly said, ‘yes, let’s do this.’ India was the last to create and run independent ATP World Doubles Championship. There was no looking back since.”

Expressing the instrumental role KSLTA under Krishna’s leadership in his tennis journey, Rohan Bopanna said, “I was 19 years old when the World Doubles was held in Bangalore, and as a young boy to watch so many international players come into the stadium here was a huge inspiration to me. Today, to be here seeing all the development and growth, and to have this iconic stadium named after him is a befitting tribute. Under Krishna sir’s leadership, tennis went to more than 12 districts in Karnataka and I was one of those players going to all these districts, playing tennis there and enjoying the atmosphere and playing in front of spectators. I definitely hope, the vision board shared today, to take tennis to 30 districts is met. Tougher than playing tennis was getting visas. Lot of youngsters give up tennis, because it’s too difficult to travel. I hope this journey we have started for tennis in the state continues to grow in the right direction.”

The newly named stadium will host the SM Krishna Memorial Tournament – ITF Men’s M25 event with prize money of $ 30,000, from April 1 to 6.

Names of the players who were awarded the scholarship:

1. Puneeth M

2. Thanush Shekar BC

3. Srishti Kiran

4. Padma Priya Ramesh Kumar

5. Prakaash Saaran

6. Aaradhya Kshitij

7. Disha Kumar

8. Snigdha Kanta

9. Krish Tyagi

10. Sehaj Singh Pawar

11. Sreenidhi Balaji

12. Harshini N

13. Arzan Khorakiwala