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For any tennis fan, Wimbledon holds special significance.
The grasscourt Major is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and is widely regarded as the most prestigious event by players and fans. Held at the All England Club in London since 1877, the tournament remains the centerpiece of the tennis calendar.
It also has unique ticketing arrangements. You can get a ticket only by entering the Public Lottery, queueing up during the event, or buying debentures from the All England Club. This means only die-hard fans get the chance to watch the high-quality tennis at SW19.
Mr. P.K. Basu, a long-time tennis fanatic, has had the opportunity to watch the action at Wimbledon on several occasions, once even from the player's box. In this exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, Mr. Basu shared his experiences from Wimbledon and what keeps drawing him back to the tournament.
He also spoke about his favorite players on the men's and women's side, among other things.
Exclusive Fan Account of watching Wimbledon live with Mr. P.K. Basu
Sportskeeda: Thank you Mr. Basu for talking to us. You have been to Wimbledon on several occasions. Can you share with our readers what the first experience of going there was like? How did you manage your tickets, since that's a question most first-time Wimbledon visitors are curious about?
P.K. Basu: I went in as a spectator waiting in the queue for a little over three hours. It was the 25th of June in 2005 and I remember the experience quite vividly.
That day, we only got in at about five o'clock in the evening. Entering Wimbledon was a fabulous experience and once you go in, it whets your appetite for more. In 2005, I went with my 10-year-old daughter. Back then, she didn't quite appreciate what we experienced, but over time, [she] has become a big tennis fan.
The following day, I was having lunch with my friend at his place in London and I got a call from a number I didn't recognize. It seemed like a Hyderabad number and I was a bit surprised.
I picked up the phone and it was Nasima Mirza, Sania's mother, on the other line. She said, "I just read your blog and it's clear that you're in London, so would you like to come to Wimbledon on Monday?" And I said, "I'd love to, of course."
I actually had a flight back to Singapore on Monday morning. But the next day, my daughter and I quickly went to the airline office and changed the tickets for the following day and off we went to Wimbledon as Sania Mirza's guests.
We walked around with badges of Player's Guests and chatted with Jaidip Mukerjea and Naresh Kumar and watched the great Leander Paes play. [What was] Particularly memorable in retrospect was seeing Mahesh Bhupathi & Mary Pierce (the eventual mixed doubles champions) winning their quarter-final match.
Mahesh and Sania also gave us their autographs in the players’ lounge later. .
Sportskeeda: Since your first time at Wimbledon, you have been back there on several other occasions. Can you tell us more about the other times you visited the tournament?
P.K. Basu: I went back in 2009 with my wife and bought tickets to Centre Court. That was the first time that the roof was in play on Centre Court. We watched Roger Federer play Lu Yen-hsun. That was followed by [a] Serena Williams [match] and then Novak Djokovic playing against Frenchman Julien Benneteau, who stretched the Serb to four sets.
We also saw Sania Mirza play her first-round match against Anna-Lena Gronefeld and the doubles matches of our Indian players.
In 2009, it was more of a Center Court experience and that has its own charm. Center Court is unique because it's always full and there’s a wonderful buzz around the arena. You often find the French Open stands somewhat empty, but Wimbledon Centre Court is choc-a-bloc.
I've also seen quite a few matches on what used to be Court 2, also known as the Graveyard of Champions. Those were my early experiences and I've been back many times. I think the last time was 2015.
I would have loved to go this year but I didn't have enough time to get a UK visa. But hopefully I will be there next year.
Sportskeeda: Can you tell us how the queueing experience compares to the experience of buying a ticket on Centre Court?
P.K Basu: We came from across the Channel from France and we took the Channel tunnel and then the tube. We arrived around 2 pm and joined the queue.
The first time you do it, queuing was a lot of fun and I didn't mind it all despite the three-hour wait. The second time I went there in 2009, I bought tickets on the black market and I took my wife with me. I wanted to give her a good experience and didn't want her to feel that my tennis obsession was a total waste.
She appreciated the experience and we had a good time. I have to say that I paid through my nose for that Centre Court ticket. If you buy it well in advance, it would be a lot cheaper.
I have also been to Roehampton for the qualifiers and saw Divij Sharan and Purav Raja play the qualifiers and make it to the doubles main draw. It was great to be there.
I don't think too many people even know about Roehampton. Anybody can walk in and watch all the qualifying matches. And only absolutely crazy fans like me, I suppose, go there.
Sportskeeda: As someone who has been to Wimbledon several times, can you give our readers who may want to go there for the first time any tips on what they should definitely do and what they shouldn't?
P.K. Basu: I think you should just enjoy the experience. Go around the courts and soak in the atmosphere. Avoid the over-rated strawberries and cream, but buy some of the Wimbledon merchandise such as umbrellas, towels, and socks.
You can look at who's playing on which court since there are lots of interesting matches going on. Of course, for the Centre Court and Court One tickets, you have to pay more. The only way to really get those tickets is to queue up.
If you're really keen, the ideal thing is to queue up very early in the morning at the crack of dawn, and you will most probably get in at the start of play.
Sportskeeda: You have also had the chance to visit the other Grand Slams. How do those compare to the Wimbledon experience?
P.K. Basu: I've been to the US Open once, actually in 1993 which was long before I went to the All England Club. The experience there is a little bit different because the crowds are a little more raucous.
Wimbledon has a genteel atmosphere and there's something special about the grass courts, which was the original surface that most of the tournaments were played on.
I haven't been to the Australian Open or Roland Garros but I do intend to go there soon. At the other Slams, sometimes on television you see a lot of empty seats even for the final rounds, but that just doesn't happen in London. It's always choc-a-bloc. There's an atmosphere and a buzz around Wimbledon that is unique.
Sportskeeda: Who is your favorite men's and women's player to watch?
P.K. Basu: From the men's tour, I would have to say Roger Federer. To me, he is the greatest player of all time.
His artistry, especially on grass and at Wimbledon, is unmatched. His tennis is poetry in motion and watching him play is the ultimate experience. I got to see him on Centre Court and it was a really wonderful, fulfilling experience.
My favorite player on the women's side is Venus Williams, especially on the grass. But before I actually started going to Wimbledon, there was Steffi Graf. Graf's forehand was something to behold and I greatly admired her play.
From the older generation, my all-time favorite player was Ken Rosewall, who had a terrific backhand. I would have loved to see him play as well.
Sportskeeda: One final question, you said you plan to go to Wimbledon next year. What keeps pulling you back to the tournament time and time again?
P.K. Basu: Just the atmosphere, the quality of tennis and the experience of seeing great players ply their wares on grass, the surface on which lawn tennis was originally meant to be played.
The interesting thing is that on Centre Court, you surely have a great atmosphere. But the outer courts are great too. There are basically just about two or three rows of seats around the court there. So you really get an intimate experience watching players play on the outer courts.
You really get to appreciate the amount of effort that goes into every shot. For any tennis fan, Wimbledon is the ultimate experience.
You can watch Wimbledon 2022 live and exclusive on Star Sports and Disney+ Hotstar.
