Akhtar Ali, a former Davis Cup coach and a legendary figure in Indian tennis, died on Sunday due to multiple health issues, including recently detected prostate cancer. Akhtar, father of India`s current Davis Cup coach Zeeshan Ali, was 83 and breathed his last in Kolkata. Akhtar, whose coaching style emphasised on playing aggressive serve and volley game, shaped many careers, including that of the legendary Leander Paes apart from his own son Zeeshan.

His coaching also influenced Vijay Amritraj and Ramesh Krishnan. According to family sources, he was taken to a city hospital two weeks ago where doctors noticed a lump in his chest and also prostate cancer. He was already suffering from dementia and parkinson`s disease. Doctors advised against any cancer therapies because of his frail condition. Zeeshan, conducting a junior national camp at the DLTA here, had returned to the national capital on Monday after spending some time with his father but has headed back to Kolkata after hearing the news of his demise.