Sachin Tendulkar Picks His Favourite Tennis Player He Would Love to Bat With

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Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, who has charmed millions with his masterful batting over decades, has now revealed an unexpected and delightful twist to his cricketing dreams: batting with tennis maestro Roger Federer.

During a recent visit to Wimbledon, Tendulkar, a regular at the prestigious event, shared his admiration for Federer and their shared passion for cricket.

"One tennis player I would love to bat with has to be Roger because also he's got cricketing connections," Tendulkar said to Star Sports on the sidelines of Wimbledon. "His mother is from South Africa and he follows cricket, and when we sat together and chatted, we discussed a lot of cricket, not just tennis, so it has to be Roger."

Tendulkar's connection with Federer isn't just a fleeting fan moment. Over the years, the Indian cricket icon has been a regular at Wimbledon, soaking in the electrifying atmosphere and world-class tennis from the royal box.

"My first Wimbledon memory was when Bjorn Borg played John McEnroe. I grew up watching them. And then, in 2004 or 2005 was my first experience here at the centre court. The following year I went to the royal box and since then been a regular visitor at the royal box," Tendulkar reminisced in a video interview.

"I also get to rub shoulders with the greats of tennis. I remember having lunch here with Martina Navratilova and Billie Jean King."

But it was his encounter with Federer that left a lasting impression. "I watched Roger Federer versus Novak Djokovic and ended up spending a lot of time with Roger Federer at the balcony here. It's been a memorable experience as and when I have been here," Tendulkar shared, reflecting on their deep discussions about cricket.

While Federer stands out as Tendulkar's favorite tennis partner, he also fondly recalled playing tennis with two other cricket legends.

"There are two strong contenders. Unfortunately, we lost Shane Warne a couple of years ago, but I enjoyed playing tennis with Warnie. In fact, we played together in London. And the other guy is Yuvraj Singh, who has also retired. But Warne and Yuvraj would be the ones," Tendulkar noted.