Why Wimbledon is serving Indian ice cream and Bollywood beats

Few things are more sacrosanct in sport than Wimbledon.

Its all-white dress code for players, minimalist court-side advertising and association with strawberries and cream all remain fiercely guarded traditions.

Yet as the organisers of the world's oldest Grand Slam set out to crack cricket-obsessed India this year, Wimbledon had to abandon some of its trademark restraint to win over audiences in a country where tennis remains a niche sport.

Strawberries and cream got an Indian makeover after Wimbledon partnered with a historic Delhi kulfi (Indian ice cream) maker. Its Instagram channel shared reels of Roger Federer and other stars gliding across the court to popular 1990s Bollywood hits. The championships also welcomed celebrity cricketers and Indian influencers to the Royal Box, using their star power to broaden its appeal.

Wimbledon also hyper-localised its marketing effort with digital content scattered across various Indian languages.

The effort seems to have paid off.

Jannik Sinner's win over Alexander Zverev in the men's final reportedly drew some 2.7 million livestream viewers despite being played after midnight local time.

And on average 8,53,000 viewers tuned in to watch the tournament in India this year - up 18% over last - according to local media. JioStar - the platform which holds exclusive streaming rights for the matches - declined to share official data with the BBC.

Wimbledon's push to win India is strategic and not accidental, Darshana Bhalla, a sports branding expert told the BBC.

India is already Wimbledon's largest international audience by reach, and 2026 is a particularly important year with Arnav........

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