The Alcaraz-Sinner Wimbledon final was electrifying: Milind Soman
"I have watched cricket and football at the highest level, but Wimbledon is beyond compare"
On Sunday,
Milind Soman
and Ankita Konwar attended Wimbledon's most thrilling men's singles final played between Spain's defending champion Carlos Alcaraz and Italy's top-seeded Jannik Sinner.
In an exclusive conversation with Bombay Times, the couple shared their experience of witnessing the epic match that saw Jannik Sinner lift the coveted trophy.
'There's so much legacy and tradition associated with Wimbledon'
Milind says, 'Wimbledon is older than the modern Olympic Games. Almost 150 years of tradition! (Wimbledon will turn 150 in 2027). The world's most iconic players have gathered here for 148 years and are celebrated like royalty by the royalty. This kind of magic and glamour can literally ignite the fire of aspiration and competition in a young mind, and this annual event has been doing that for generations.
I have watched cricket and football at the highest level, but the experience of witnessing Wimbledon is beyond compare.
'
Ankita adds, 'As a tennis enthusiast and an athlete, Wimbledon has been on my to do list for a while now and I was thrilled to be a part of the finals. It is the only major tournament that still uses grass as its playing surface so there's so much legacy and tradition associated with it.'
'I've been watching Wimbledon since the early days of TV in India'
Iconic rivalries build great players and vice versa, making the sport legendary. On a nostalgic note, Milind shares, 'This is the first time we were on centre court, but I have been watching Wimbledon since the early days of TV in India. I can remember watching Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe, their rivalry was iconic. I remember watching Boris Becker and Martina Navratilova, Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf, and more recently, the great trio of
Roger Federer
,
Rafael Nadal
and
Novak Djokovic
.
And now Sinner and Alcaraz… generations of fantastic tennis players.
Ankita reminisces, 'My father was a big tennis fan, so I grew up watching the matches with him. Those are my favourite childhood memories. Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf, Martina Hingis were household names.'
'Sinner and Alcaraz were a dream to watch'
We ask the couple who they were rooting for in the epic clash and Milind replies, 'I was actually hoping to see Djokovic in the final, but Sinner and Alcaraz are very talented and were a dream to watch.
It might take them a few years to capture the world's imagination like their predecessors, but it was fascinating to watch them play. The match was electrifying, the energy and buzzing excitement of centre court has to be experienced to be believed.
'
Ankita, also a Djokovic fan, reveals, 'I was rooting for Sinner because he defeated my favourite player of all time (Djokovic) in the semi-final, so I wanted his defeat to have a meaning.
Sinner winning the trophy meant he was, in fact, the best player in the tournament.'
Fashion and food at Wimbledon
Style, elegance, strawberries and cream. Speaking about the other much talked about aspects of the tournament, Milind says, 'Dressing up for an event is fun with friends and family. Ankita and I had a great time helping each other decide what to wear. I wanted something sporty, so I chose a kind of tracksuit with sandals, which is very comfortable.'
Ankita says, 'I did have strawberry and cream, but liked the vegan version of it better than the other one. You truly have to be here to believe just how incredible it is.'
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