CHENNAI: Former India captain Virat Kohli watched the Novak Djokovic vs Alex de Minaur at Wimbledon on Monday. During a chat with Star Sports and JioHotstar he spoke about his favourite tennis player Novak Djokovic and said he hoped Djoko wins the event. He said that would be a tremendous achievement. Kohli felt that playing in Centre Court must be very special. "The pressure these players must feel, especially on Centre Court, is tremendous. The only cricketing equivalent would be a high-intensity World Cup match — like an India-Pakistan clash or a semifinal or final — where your legs are literally shivering from the pressure," he said.
Excerpts
On his favourite men’s singles player
I have been in touch with Novak Djokovic for a while now. We have exchanged messages, and he’s been very gracious and kind. I’d love to see Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz in the final — and I hope Novak wins this one. That would be a tremendous achievement at this stage of his career. He’s definitely in the conversation as one of the greatest of all time — if not the greatest — with the highest number of Grand Slam titles. He truly deserves it for all the hard work he’s put in. I really hope he plays Carlos in the final and wins.
On his first experience attending Wimbledon:
It’s great being here again. Anushka and I came in 2015 — that was our first experience of being at the wonderful Centre Court. Just experiencing what Wimbledon truly is. It is very special. We had always planned to come back, but for various reasons, we couldn’t make it happen. Now we have a bit of time on our hands, and here we are again.
On comparing Centre Court at Wimbledon with the experience of playing at Lord’s
There are some amazing stadiums in the world to play cricket, and there's always a lot of pressure because so many people are watching. But I would say it’s not as intimidating as Centre Court, because of the distance between the players and the spectators. When we’re batting, the fans are too far away, so you can get lost in your own space, do your own thing, and you don’t really hear comments, cheers, or boos directly in your ears. It’s only when you're fielding at the boundary that you might hear them, but even then, there’s no pressure at that moment to succeed or fail with your individual skill. But in tennis, everything is on the line — a single point can change the game. The pressure these players must feel, especially on Centre Court, is tremendous. I have a lot of respect for tennis players for being able to maintain composure, fitness and mental strength. The pressure and intimidation factor here is on another level. The only cricketing equivalent would be a high-intensity World Cup match — like an India-Pakistan clash or a semifinal or final — where your legs are literally shivering from the pressure. But these guys face that level of intensity from the quarterfinals all the way through to the finals, which is a lot to handle.
On a player’s mind-set during high-pressure moments
Every sport comes with its own set of challenges. In cricket, one of the biggest is the waiting. You warm up in the morning, then sit in the changing room not knowing when you will bat — just waiting, anticipating, reading the game. In tennis, the situation is different. You know exactly what you’re walking into, and you have to pace the game from the very first minute. Cricket is different in that regard — especially for a batter — because you only get one chance. One mistake and you're done for the day. You spend the rest of it clapping from the side lines. In tennis, you could be two sets down and still come back to win — and we’ve seen many champions do just that over the years. So while both sports are tough, I’d say this (tennis) is far more challenging in terms of intensity. If I were on the court with the crowd so close, I would find it way too intimidating.
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