London : Sally Bolton, the chief executive officer of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, wondered aloud what it would mean for a nation of 1.4 billion people if an Indian were to win the Wimbledon singles title. Today, that prospect is a distant dream. Bolton knows that better than most, yet she presses on.“Nothing would generate more interest in India than if we could have an Indian (singles) champion here. That success on the court, the connection and the passion that gets felt by a nation when they see one of their people do well is huge,” she told TOI in an exclusive chat.Wimbledon, which will celebrate its 150th anniversary next year, has started looking beyond its traditional Grand Slam strongholds towards larger and faster-growing markets such as India.“The more we think we can generate interest in tennis and Wimbledon, the greater chance there is that more people play tennis, the greater chance there is that we one day have an Indian win Wimbledon,” she said of the outreach. “Success for tennis in India would be huge for us.”One of the earliest steps in that direction was the Road to Wimbledon (India) initiative, first staged in 2014.While the format evolved over the years, it typically featured week-long Masters events for boys and girls held at separate venues. Plans for a 2020 edition were shelved due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Since then, the initiative has evolved into the 14-and-Under Championships, first held in 2022. Played over the final four days of Wimbledon on Championship courts, it brings together the best U-14 players from the ITF’s regional federations.
