Wimbledon has begun and the two week Tennis extravaganza shall unfold at the All England Club, London. Being an ardent fan of the game, Wimbledon has always been the fulcrum of my interest in the sport. Though the Australian, French and the US Open keep me equally interested, there is just something special about Wimbledon which makes it to the top of the pecking order worldwide.
I tried to zero in on just that exclusive virtue, which makes Wimbledon so special, and I was able to do so. That special virtue undoubtedly was Tradition. Since 1877, be it the grass courts, the all white dress code for players, the Green and Purple colour combinations, strawberry and cream, the royal box and the Duke and Duchess of Kent, tradition (I need to write a separate blog on it) has made many a young tennis player aspire for his or her name being etched in the history of Wimbledon. A win here is no mean feat and simply makes one become part of Wimbledon’s great tradition and folklore.
However, there is one more event which is a part of Wimbledon’s tradition year after year. It’s not in London, but in Mumbai. The city’s Monsoon.
Wimbledon and the Monsoons hit Mumbai almost at the same time every year . By the time Wimbledon begins, Mumbai is well within Monsoon’s grasp. Although the rains might be cumbersome for many, I always enjoyed the rains and the cool, damp atmosphere. With my mother preparing some lovely snacks for us, befitting the weather, watching the matches on Saturday and Sunday on a black and white EC TV, was something I greatly relished as a child. It used to be something of an occasion for me and coming back from school to watch the matches used to fill me with a strong sense of purpose and excitement.
My first memories of Wimbledon date back to 1980, wherein the great Swede, Bjon Borg and the brilliant American John McEnroe played an epic of a Final. The five setter duel between the legends of the game was eventually won by the Swede to record his fifth straight Wimbledon title. History was made that day. For a seven year old, I was in awe of both the players who appeared as super human to me with the long flowing hair of the Swede and an equally bulky mane of the American, held together by head bands and bandanas, as they exhibited great skill, particularly in serving and volleying. This match made me a fan of Tennis and of course Wimbledon, and till date my enthusiasm has not waned one bit.
The Monsoon memories of Wimbledon, particularly the mouth watering, hot and spicy snacks doled out from the hands of my mother, with a hot cup of tea (though I always had cold drinks) and the company of my father and brothers, glued to the TV set, are memories which I so well cherish.
May be there will be a Monsoon Wimbledon evening again, with all of us together, with some splendid hot cuisine and ginger tea…I am waiting.
Again Riz Khan has done well to highlight that Wimbledon is a famed word synonymous with watching the world’s top tennis competition between the world’s tennis aces and their cheering supporters as they battle it out in the process of elimination rounds to reach the top spots.
I wish he would also write on the ‘Grand Slam’ phenomenon not to speak of other famous tennis destinations such as ‘Flushing Meadows’ and ‘Roland Garros’ synonymous with the ‘US Open’ and ‘French Open’ etc.