1 day Ago By [email protected] (Press Trust Of India)
Published 17:21 IST, January 5th 2025 Watching India and Australia compete in the series-deciding fifth Test was some experience for the 54-year-old American tennis legend. Jim Courier watched cricket on TV whenever he would be Down Under before the Australian Open but sitting alongside Steve Waugh and witnessing live action at the Sydney Cricket Ground was an incredible experience for the four-time Grand Slam Champion. Courier is a commentator with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).
He comes to Melbourne every year for the season's first Grand Slam. Watching India and Australia compete in the series-deciding fifth Test was some experience for the 54-year-old American tennis legend. He also came, for a brief period, as a guest commentator during ABC's radio show 'Grand Stand' alongside Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar.
"It's my first time watching cricket live. I have watched cricket many times on TV but this is my first time at the ground. The energy here at the ground is spectacular and when cricket nations play such a match, you feel the energy.
It's an awesome spectacle," Courier told PTI in an exclusive interaction. Courier, who competed in the 1993 Wimbledon final, is a regular feature at the SW19 but has never been to the Lord's. "No, I have never been to the Lord’s.
Sydney is the first cricket ground that I have ever visited. It is indeed a real thrill. It was an incredible experience as I was sitting with so many cricket legends.
I was sitting earlier with Steve Waugh and he is a phenomenal human being," he said. Did you hear about Virat Kohli, the Indian cricket superstar? "Yeah, I heard about him and here he nearly got out first ball," the two- time French and Australian Open champion said, referring to the star batter’s near first ball dismissal in the first innings. While the interaction on tennis was short, he did remember playing Davis Cup in Delhi and congratulated Leander Paes for entering the prestigious Hall of Fame.
"I am absolutely delighted that he is now in the 'Hall of Fame' and what an amazing career Lee has had. I have had a chance to play against him in a Davis Cup match in India and that was a highlight. He is a legend.
" With Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal already retired and Novak Djokovic only left among the big three, Courier is confident that Italian Jannik Sinner and Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz will take the game forward. "They (Alcaraz and Sinner) are both magnificent superstars, and although you don't know what they are going to achieve but level of tennis they play and magnetism they have, they will be able to carry the legacy for a long time," he said. Updated 17:21 IST, January 5th 2025.
