Deepti Sharma was in attendance at the 2026 Wimbledon Championship in London on Friday.
The 28-year-old took a brief break following India's group-stage exit from the ongoing ICC Women's T20 World Cup to enjoy the grass-court tennis action.
Deepti ended the showpiece tournament with 60 runs and seven wickets to her name. The highlight of her performance was a match-winning fifer against arch-rivals Pakistan.
Speaking to JioHotstar on the sidelines of the Wimbledon action, the all-rounder drew a parallel between Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic and legendary Indian captain MS Dhoni.
"When you talk about Djokovic, everyone speaks about his mental strength. He is someone who never gives up, no matter how tough the situation is. In cricket, I think MS Dhoni sir is very similar. He is known for being very cool and calm. Whenever pressure situations come, he handles them really well. It never looks like he is in a difficult situation. He handles pressure so easily," Deepti said.
"Both Djokovic and Dhoni have that rare quality of staying calm and strong when it matters the most. Watching them, we learn how to stay calm and find a way out of tough situations," she added.
Deepti Sharma’s trip to the Wimbledon grounds was a long-time bucket-list dream. No wonder, she was thrilled to finally experience the amazing energy, crowd, and atmosphere live instead of on television.
"My dream was that one day I would come to watch a Wimbledon match, and it feels really good to finally be here. When you go to watch a match at an iconic venue like this, and when you have always seen it on TV but today you are seeing it live for the first time, it feels amazing. The atmosphere, the crowd, the energy – everything is different. I am really enjoying watching tennis at Wimbledon. It just feels great," she said.
Deepti grew up watching legends like Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, but Djokovic has become her favorite. She deeply admires his fighting spirit and resilience.
"My favourite is Djokovic. I follow his game very closely. The way he fights on the court, his mental strength, and his never-give-up attitude, I really admire all of that. Watching him play is always inspiring," she said.
"I grew up watching greats like Federer and Nadal. I followed their matches closely for a long time. But lately, Djokovic has become my favourite. I follow his matches more than anyone else now," Deepti added.
Asked whom she would like to accompany her for a day at Wimbledon, Deepti Sharma mentioned the names of three Indian cricket legends.
"I would choose three people to take with me: Sachin Tendulkar sir, Ravi Shastri sir, and Sunil Gavaskar sir. They are all legends in their own right, and I think watching tennis with them would be a great experience. They have so much knowledge about sports, and I would love to hear their thoughts and analysis while watching the matches," she said.