Indian badminton great Nandu Natekar dead

Pune, July 28 

Legendary badminton player Nandu Natekar, the first Indian to win an international title in 1956, died here on Wednesday.

The 88-year-old, who won over 100 national and international titles in his career, was suffering from age-related ailments.

He is survived by his son Gaurav and two daughters.

“He passed away peacefully at home and we were all with him and he has been ailing for the last three months and he passed away peacefully,” Gaurav told to PTI.

Natekar, who was considered one of the most popular sportspersons of his time, was also a former World number three.

Born in Sangli in western Maharashtra, Natekar won over 100 national and international titles in a career spanning over 15 years. He was also conferred with the prestigious Arjuna Award in 1961.

“With deepest sorrow, we would like to inform you that our beloved father Nandu Natekar passed away on 28th July, 2021,” The Natekar family said in a message.

“Keeping in mind the COVID-19 guidelines, we will not be having a condolence meeting. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.”

Condoling the death of Natekar, Modi said his achievements will continue to motivate budding players.

“Shri Nandu Natekar has a special place in India’s sporting history. He was an outstanding badminton player and a great mentor,” Modi tweeted.

“His success continues to motivate budding athletes. Saddened by his demise. My thoughts are with his family and friends in this sad hour. Om Shanti,” the prime minister said.

Natekar, who was considered one of the most popular sportspersons of his time, was also a former world number three.

Sports Minister Anurag Thakur described Natekar as “an exceptional badminton player.” “In 1961 he was conferred with the prestigious Arjuna Award. A generation of athletes have drawn inspiration from him. Sincere condolences to his family & friends,” Thakur tweeted.

Chief badminton national coach Pullela Gopichand described Natekar as a “true legend” of the game while Vimal Kumar credited him for his initiation to the sport.

“For us, he is a true legend in Indian badminton. He is someone who is well-respected and we have heard stories about him. He not only played badminton but tennis at the highest level.

“He belonged to that era, where he, along with Suresh Goel, Dinesh Khanna and Prakash Padukone, were up there,” Gopichand, India’s chief national coach, told PTI.

It was tennis’ loss but badminton’s gain as Natekar could have continued with the former had he not lost the 1951-52 National junior final to Ramanathan Krishnan.

“He was soft (spoken) person and a great gentleman. He was affectionate and always had keen interest in present day badminton. He had such precision and understanding of angles, he was an athlete because he could adapt to tennis and badminton,” Gopichand said.

“He had such beautiful hands, skills and also his movement.” Former India coach Vimal Kumar said his father was a big fan of Natekar and that’s how he got into the sport.

“My father was a big fan of him and in fact it was after he saw him during a national event at (then) Trivandrum that he put up an outside court at our house and that’s how I got initiated into badminton,” he said.

“I could only see him play when he won the veteran All England in the 1980s. He was as popular as the cricketers in the 50s and people used to line up to watch him play.” Abdul Shaikh, who played with Natekar in the Maharashtra team before shifting to Canada in 1967, also had a lot of good memories.

“I am very sorry to hear this news. He was one of the most stylish and graceful international players I have seen in my life,” Shaikh, who went on to coach the Canada badminton team, told PTI from Vancouver.

“I had partnered him in India Open in the 1960s. We had lost to Malaysia in the finals. He was someone who actually picked up his superb backhand from Wong Peng Soon of Malaysia. He was such a superb stroke player and had beautiful footwork.”

In his distinguished career, Natekar made it to the quarterfinals of the prestigious All England Championships in 1954 and became the first Indian player to win an international event when he claimed the Sellanger International in Malaysia in 1956.

He was also won 12 out of the 16 singles matches and 8 out of 16 in doubles as part of the Indian team at the Thomas Cup between 1951 and 1963. He also had the distinction of leading the country in the tournament in 1959, 1961 and 1963.

He had also represented India at the 1965 Commonwealth Games in Jamaica. PTI