'He has got speed, a lot of endurance, he is mentally very tough.'
India's T20I Captain Suryakumar Yadav enjoyed a memorable day in the Wimbledon Royal Box at Centre Court on Wednesday as he cheered for his all-time favourite tennis star Novak Djokovic.
SKY said he has long been inspired by the record-breaking Djokovic, who produced a stunning comeback after a slow start to overpower Flavio Cobolli in the quarter-finals.
'I have definitely come to watch Novak Djokovic. I have been following his career for a very long time. I even read his book Serve to Win, which really inspired me. I made my international cricket debut a little later in life, though not quite as late as 30, but I could really relate to his journey and perseverance. The way he keeps going is phenomenal,' he said.
When asked about his favourite players, past and present, Suryakumar replied: 'If we are talking about Wimbledon specifically, then definitely Pete Sampras and Roger Federer. I remember how the crowd would go crazy when either of them turned up here. But my all-time favourite is obviously Novak Djokovic. And currently, I would say Carlos Alcaraz, he has been wildfire on the court.'
Suryakumar revealed that if he ever got the chance to play doubles tennis, he would pick Mahendra Singh Dhoni as his partner.
'Definitely, M S Dhoni. He has got speed, a lot of endurance, he is mentally very tough, and recently, whenever he is not playing cricket, I have seen him playing a lot of tennis. So yes, without a doubt, it would be MS Dhoni.'
On the parallels between tennis and cricket, he stated: 'There are a lot of similarities between cricket and elite tennis. Mental toughness plays a crucial role in both. There is also a lot of endurance involved.'
'In cricket, we keep running the same 20-25 metres repeatedly, and it is similar in tennis as well. So, I would say strong mental resolve and endurance are the two big common factors.'
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