NEW DELHI: India’s teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi had a memorable day away from the cricket field as he attended the Wimbledon 2026 men’s singles final between Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev at the iconic All England Club in London on Sunday. Sinner won his second Wimbledon title, beating Zverev 6-7 (7), 7-6 (2), 6-3, 6-4 in the final. The 15-year-old, who recently made his India debut, attended the match with fellow India opener Abhishek Sharma. Former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh was also present at Centre Court. Dressed in a formal black blazer, white shirt, striped tie and tinted sunglasses, Sooryavanshi impressed fans with his new look. But he admitted that getting ready for the occasion happened at the last minute.“Nahi kuch kiya nahi, but jaldi jaldi mein bas jo mila mujhe mein maine Abhishek bhai se bolke arrange karaya aur daal kar aaya hu. (I didn’t plan anything; whatever I could find in the last minute, I asked Abhishek and he got it arranged for me, and I just wore it),” Sooryavanshi laughed, giving credit to Abhishek Sharma for helping him with the outfit.
Nadal, Djokovic inspired him, but he backed Sinner
Sooryavanshi revealed that he has been following tennis for several years and grew up watching two of the sport’s biggest legends.“I have been following tennis for four or five years now. I followed Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic while growing up. Abhi bhi Djokovic bohot pasand hai (Even now, I like Djokovic a lot),” the youngster said during an interview with Star Sports.He also shared his admiration for Carlos Alcaraz but predicted that Jannik Sinner would lift the Wimbledon trophy.“I really like Carlos Alcaraz among the current generation of tennis players, but he is not playing this year. As I followed the tournament, I was impressed by how Jannik Sinner dominated. So hopefully he will go on to win the final today,” he added.
First live Grand Slam experience
Watching Wimbledon live for the first time was a memorable experience for the young cricketer.“Of course, I wanted to watch the finals match. It’s my first experience watching live, and it’s been good to see how the players approach a final,” Sooryavanshi said while speaking to JioStar.When asked whom he would choose as his doubles partner in tennis, Sooryavanshi picked his India opening partner.“I will go with Abhishek bhaiya. He is my opening partner in international cricket. I really enjoy batting with him a lot, so I will choose him as my doubles tennis partner as well,” he said.Sooryavanshi was already in the United Kingdom after making his senior India debut in the recently concluded T20I series against England. At 15 years and 99 days, he became India’s youngest international debutant, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s long-standing record.India lost the five-match T20I series 0-4 against England.
