Former Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli has drawn an unexpected yet compelling comparison between the pressure of playing top-level cricket and experiencing live tennis at Wimbledon’s Centre Court.
While attending the Men’s Round of 16 clash between Novak Djokovic and Australia’s Alex de Minaur on Monday, Kohli shared his thoughts during an interaction with Star Sports’ Vijay Amritraj.
He described the unique tension that tennis players endure with each point, suggesting it could even surpass the pressure cricketers feel in most matches — except, perhaps, for World Cup encounters like India vs Pakistan.
Kohli said that cricket stadiums, although massive, offer a buffer due to the distance between players and spectators. “You can block out the crowd noise while batting. Even when you’re near the boundary while fielding, the pressure is not on every single moment,” he explained.
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In contrast, he described Centre Court as an arena where players carry the full weight of each point. “One shot can change everything. The pressure these tennis athletes handle is immense,” he noted, praising their mental strength and physical conditioning.
The 36-year-old, known for thriving under pressure, admitted only India-Pakistan World Cup fixtures come close to matching that intensity. “Your legs shake in those moments,” he said, adding that tennis players likely experience similar nerves from the quarterfinals onward.
Kohli recently ended his T20I career after a match-winning performance in the 2024 T20 World Cup final and also retired from Tests. He is expected to continue playing ODIs, although India has no upcoming 50-over fixtures until October.