Nandu Natekar, India’s greatest badminton player ever, passes away aged 88

Arguably India’s greatest badminton player ever, Nandu Natekar passed away at his residence in Pune on Wednesday. Nandu Natekar is survived by his son Gaurav and two daughters, Sangeeta Welinkar and Nishigandha Mathur. He was 88 years old.

The hero of Indian badminton before the arrival of Prakash Padukone, Nandu Natekar dominated the national and international badminton circuit in the fifties and sixties.

The Arjuna Award winner and former World No. 3, Natekar was the first Indian shuttler to win an international title when he bagged the Selangor International title in Malaysia in 1956.

Known for his versatility, Natekar even made the men’s singles quarterfinals of the All England Championships in 1954.

“He passed away peacefully at home and we were all with him. He had been ailing for the last three months… 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.

He was suffering from age-related ailments.

“Keeping in mind the COVID-19 guidelines, we will not be having a condolence meeting. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers,” added Gaurav Natekar, a former Indian tennis star.

Considered one of the most popular sportspersons of his time, Natekar was equally good at tennis.

Nandu Natekar was equally good at tennis but opted to become a badminton player

During his student days, Natekar excelled in both badminton and tennis. However, he opted to pursue his career in badminton and went on to win over 100 national and international titles.

His doubles partnership with CD Deoras was quite famous. The duo dominated for several years and won several titles at national and international level.

Nandu Natekar (standing centre) with his son Gaurav (extreme right) and other family members

Natekar won 12 of his 16 singles and eight of his 16 doubles matches as part of the Indian team at the Thomas Cup between 1951 and 1963. He led the country in the tournament in 1959, 1961 and 1963. Natekar also represented India at the 1965 Commonwealth Games in Jamaica.

Born in Sangli, western Maharashtra, Natekar’s distinguished career spanned over 15 years. He was conferred with the prestigious Arjuna Award in 1961.

Natekar first played for India in 1953 at the age of 20. Even after his retirement he was quite active and used to play regularly. He even traveled for tournaments and loved to watch live matches. In the last few years, he used to play golf with his grandchildren.

Natekar was the first Indian to enter the top 5 in the world and beat every player of his generation. His most memorable victory came in 1958 when he beat Erland Kops, the then World No.1 to win the CCI Open in Mumbai.

Natekar was a very skillful player, and his combination of pinpoint accuracy and wristy strokes made him one of the most feared players on the circuit. By winning six national titles in singles, six in doubles and five in mixed doubles, he became one of the giants of Indian badminton.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, union sports minister Anurag Singh Thakur, former players and several celebrities have paid their tributes on social media to Nandu Natekar.