London [UK], July 10 : Swashbuckling Indian wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, who attended the Wimbledon tournament on Tuesday, said that Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer is his favourite player and his backhand is something he would "watch again and again".
Alongside Indian and international cricket stars like Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Sunil Gavaskar, James Anderson, Joe Root, Jasprit Bumrah etc, Pant has been another star attraction at the lawns of Wimbledon's Centre Court.
Speaking to JioHotstar and Star Sports, Pant said about his favourite tennis player, Federer, a record-breaking eight-time Wimbledon champion and overall 20-time Grand Slam champion.
"It has to be Roger Federer (his favourite tennis player). His backhand, I would watch it again and again. That was something that really brought me to the court. From the current players in this year's Wimbledon, I really like the new generation. (Carlos) Alcaraz (the defending champion) is amazing; the kind of fight he showed in the French Open was incredible. Even when you are in a tough spot, he showed you can still fight back, and he actually won! That was so inspiring. I also like Jannik Sinner (the world number one). These two are the ones I am really looking forward to watching," Pant said.
Pant said that there are "a lot of things" that draw him to Wimbledon, one of them being the excitement.
"You want to experience something as a fan as well, because we are always playing cricket. But here, you get to watch someone who can inspire you. That inspiration comes from athletes, the kind who play tennis. It is amazing. And I finally get to dress well! We are usually in shorts and t-shirts, so wearing a suit feels good sometimes," he said.
Speaking about things cricket and tennis have in common, Pant's answer was "mindset".
"You can play any sport, but if your mindset is not right, you cannot make it to the top. That is the difference between a good player and an excellent one. It sets you apart," he concluded.
Pant is also a part of the Indian team that is currently on tour to England for their five-match series. He has scored 342 runs so far in two Tests, with two centuries and a fifty, and is the third-highest run-getter. The series is currently levelled at 1-1, and the third Test at Lord's kickstarted on Thursday.
Coming to the tournament itself, Serbian icon Novak Djokovic took one step closer to record-levelling eighth-time Wimbledon glory as he battled past Flavio Cobolli to advance to a record 14th semifinal at the tournament on Wednesday.
Having dropped the first set to Alex de Minaur in the final 16 clash recently, Djokovic found himself in the same situation. But as it is with champions of his calibre, Djokovic found his answers when it was needed the most, producing a clutch comeback to secure a 6-7(6), 6-2, 7-5, 6-4 victory.
This is his 102nd win in the tournament and takes his season record to 26-8. Two more victories, and Djokovic will be able to secure his record-extending 25th Grand Slam title and his first since the US Open 2023. He will also level with Swiss icon Roger Federer for the joint-most Wimbledon titles, with eight each.
The former world number one has not had a good time at title clashes in London as of late, having lost his previous two Wimbledon titles in successive years to defending champion Carlos Alcaraz.
Serbian superstar's next challenger is world number one Jannik Sinner, with the Italian ending Ben Shelton's run in the competition with a 7-6(2), 6-4, 6-4 win.
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