In a strategic shift away from its fiercely guarded traditions, Wimbledon is actively courting audiences in cricket-obsessed India. As recently reported from Mumbai by journalist Nikhil Inamdar (in an article published 4 days ago featuring visual documentation by Getty Images), organizers of the world’s oldest Grand Slam are trading some of their trademark restraint to expand the reach of what remains a niche sport in the country.

The strategy has already shown tangible results. Jannik Sinner’s win over Alexander Zverev in the men’s final reportedly drew some 2.7 million livestream viewers in India, an impressive figure given the match was played after midnight local time. Overall, local media noted that an average of 853,000 (or 8,53,000) viewers tuned in to the tournament this year, representing an 18% increase over the previous year. JioStar, the platform holding exclusive streaming rights for the broadcasts, declined to share official data with the BBC.

Historically synonymous with an all-white dress code, minimalist court-side advertising, and classic strawberries and cream, Wimbledon has introduced a distinct Indian flair to its marketing. The tournament partnered with KUReMAL’S, a historic Delhi eatery and ice cream maker, to give its traditional strawberries and cream a makeover using kulfi (traditional Indian ice cream). Simultaneously, Wimbledon’s Instagram account published reels of Roger Federer and other tennis stars moving across the court set to 1990s Bollywood hits. Organizers also hyper-localized their digital content across various Indian languages and invited Indian influencers and celebrity cricketers to the Royal Box to leverage their star power.

Speaking to the BBC, sports branding expert Darshana Bhalla explained that Wimbledon’s aggressive push into India is highly strategic. India currently stands as the tournament’s largest international audience by reach. The timeline is critical, with 2026 viewed as a particularly important year following Arnav Paparkar becoming the first Indian in 36 years to reach the under-18 boys singles quarter-finals.

“India is also seeing a stronger pipeline of young talent across both ATP and ITF circuits than it has in nearly a decade, and premium urban sports consumption is expanding rapidly beyond cricket, with streaming platforms able to target niche audiences at scale,” Bhalla stated.

Recognizing these shifting demographics, Sally Bolton, chief executive of the All England Lawn Tennis Club—Wimbledon’s governing body—told the Financial Times that India has officially joined the US as a “main focus” for audience growth. According to KPMG, India is poised to become the world’s most critical growth market for sports, with the sector estimated to grow at a compounded 12-14% rate to 2030, which is nearly double the global average.

This immense potential means global properties must embrace cultural specificity. “Wimbledon has understood one of the biggest shifts in global marketing. For decades, premium brands believed exclusivity came from distance. However, today they understand that exclusivity comes from belonging,” Bhalla observed. “What they’ve changed is the entry point, instead of asking young Indians to first understand Wimbledon…they are allowing Indians to discover Wimbledon through familiar cultural cues. Like the kulfi collaboration, Punjabi, Bollywood and Tamil music infusion and Indian creators.”

Upasna Dash, founder of the Jajabor Brand Consultancy, told the BBC that for a younger generation who might view Wimbledon as aspirational but distant, “reducing this cultural distance” is essential. “Younger audiences often encounter global events through social media before they engage with the event itself. Instead of asking consumers to enter Wimbledon’s world, the campaign briefly enters theirs,” Dash added.

For broadcasters like JioStar, heavily investing in tennis offers an opportunity to build out calendar events and attract fresh demographics beyond a single sport. This comes amid widespread reports that JioStar has been looking to renegotiate its $3bn broadcast rights contract for 2024-2027 with the International Cricket Council following financial losses. While that partnership remains in force, experts say expanding tennis coverage provides much-needed stability and strategic diversification.

“For JioStar, tennis broadens the engagement calendar, attracts affluent urban audiences and diversifies advertiser categories beyond cricket,” Bhalla said. “In India, cricket gives scale, tennis gives premium audiences…Wimbledon brings something cricket cannot – a premium, affluent, English-speaking, urban audience that brands in luxury, automotive, banking, fintech, travel and premium consumer goods actively.”

However, maintaining this momentum will require long-term vision. Aryan Anurag, co-founder of the Delhi-based social media agency Binge Labs, warned that Wimbledon must “create lasting relevance long after the tournament ends” to ensure the branding blitz translates into sustained engagement. “If [these moments] are treated as one-off campaign tactics around a tournament, the impact is likely to be short-lived,” he cautioned. Translating this initial curiosity into genuine fandom will demand continued market investment and stronger grassroots engagement, Dash emphasized.

For now, the global sports industry is watching Wimbledon’s cultural experiment closely. “If it demonstrates that culturally contextualised storytelling can materially increase engagement in India, then expect F-1, the NBA, the NFL, the UFC, La Liga and the Premier League to deepen their India-first content strategies,” Bhalla concluded.