an actor-cricketer but an ardent sports fan with a keen interest in Tennis. The Ghoomer actress is in Melbourne for the ongoing Australian Open. Sharing her experience with Bombay Times, she touched upon a range of topics including what Tennis means to her after Roger Federer’s retirement and Rafael Nadal’s fitness struggles.
She said, “It’s very difficult to even think of a grand slam where Federer is not there but my second favourite tennis player after Roger Federer was Rafael Nadal and unfortunately, he too pulled out from the Australian Open. I would really love to see more films of the greatest rivalry between Fed Nadal all through their career. There was no motivation really without these two legends. The game’s not the same but we can’t forget the fact that the greatest of all time is Novak Djokovic and he has won the Australian Open 10 times in the last 22 years. Federer won six times, Nadal 13 times, but it’s important for any sports lover to look ahead and that’s why I wanted to start the new year by watching the Australian Open for the next generation. Obviously, I’ll watch Djokovic play his favourite tournament but also Alcaraz, who I believe is going to dominate world tennis for some time to come.
Indian Tennis player Sumit Nagal has been knocked out of the AO but he had a great run too. Saiyami adds, “I was excited when Nagal won his first round against a seeded player. It’s a BIG deal to do what Nagal has done. I was there watching his 2nd round but unfortunately wasn’t meant to be. But I will be following his journey closely in the future. I also watched Rohan (Bopanna) play. He is one of the nicest and most humble people I know. His journey in world tennis has been remarkable and needs to be celebrated much more.”
Speaking about Djokovic and Virat Kohli’s mutual admiration, she added, “It was interesting to hear Djokovic talk about the fact that he and Virat kohli exchanged messages and talked about sport because I really do think that Virat and Djokovic are quite similar in their approach. Both work very hard on their fitness, both turned vegan and they constantly explore methodology with which they can improve their physical fitness. I would love to see them come together and share insights on the mental aspect of staying up at the top for so long and what it takes to get there.”
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