Wimbledon 2022: Roger Federer superfan from Kolkata gives Championships a rare miss

Sunita Sigtia has been going to Wimbledon almost every year since 2008. Her earliest memory of the tournament dates back to the 90s watching the likes of Steffi Graf and Boris Becker play on Doordarshan. Born into a family of sports fanatics, Sigtia started going to Eden Gardens from an age of 5 and later go on to play badminton at University level. But tennis holds a special place in her heart. To be more specific, Roger Federer does. Sigtia has travelled the world to watch the 20-time Grand Slam winner play. Wimbledon, Dubai, Basel, London are some of the tournaments she’s frequented more than once. The love affair began in 2003 before being solidified five years later. “When his match was supposed to start, it started raining so play got delayed. I was so curious to see him play and when you step on to the Centre Court, the feeling is out of this world. It is unbelievable. It doesn’t go away either,” she says of her first Wimbledon experience in 2008. “The time he walked into the arena, I started weeping - I couldn’t control myself. It is amazing to see the grass and to see Roger play on the grass. It is an experience that is hard to describe,” said Sunita who is in her 40s and runs a textile business.

Sunita’s first trip to Wimbledon happened by chance. One of her cousins invited her for housewarming in London and the timing couldn’t be more special. Wimbledon was just around the corner and Sunita wanted to make the most of it. She and her sister stood in a queue from 7-8 am, were handed a number and were only able to get inside the gates six hours later. On 23 June, 2008, first day of Wimbledon, Federer opened play on Centre Court - as tradition goes - as defending champion. By the time the third round came about, she figured out yet another Wimbledon tradition - The Queue . Thousands camp outside the gates a day prior, go through a lengthy line in order to get a ticket for the day’s play. “Roger was supposed to play Marc Gicquel on Friday and I went on Thursday night. I wasn’t prepared for The Queue because I had an umbrella and some woolen clothes. That’s all and I sat there all night. It started pouring, others questioned how I was going to survive, but it was a good experience. I saw him play that day and I’ve been hooked on to him and to Wimbledon forever since,” she says. Sigtia has two Federer tattoos — one is an RF logo on her back, the other a rendition of Federer’s signature on her right arm. She got the latter after Federer won the 2017 Australian Open, which is one of her favourite Roger titles. Federer’s triumph at the All England Club in 2017 happens to be her ever-lasting memory from Wimbledon. The now 40-year-old beat Marin Cilic in the final to clinch his record eighth Wimbledon title, surpassing Pete Sampras and William Renshaw, and 19th major. “One is when Sachin (Tendulkar) was in the royal box. I have a photo of that. Then there was 2017 when Roger won the title. And in 2018, I got to know [Asian Games medallist] Vishnu Vardhan and got access to the player’s area, that’s when I got to meet Roger on the bridge. But nothing is bigger than the win in 2017,” she says of her memories from Wimbledon. “In 2017, he won two Slams when no one expected him to. For the final, I managed to get a resale ticket. When he won, we all ran down to the area where he appears with the Cup. I have been to Wimbledon before, seen Roger win before but never witnessed such a crowd waiting for him. It was very special,” she says. For Sigtia, Wimbledon has a special place despite having also been to the Australian Open - which she thinks has more activities going on. “Wimbledon has a charm, there is greenery all around, players are wearing all-whites. There is an aura that is unmatched. There’s decorum, people are so disciplined, even the security is like you’re at the airport. When in the tent for The Queue, you cannot step away from the line or they take away your number.” “More than anything, it is the grass. Wimbledon has a royal feel about it. The sound of the ball being hit is also unique and it can’t be matched at the other.” The only two years when Sigtia hasn’t made a journey to Wimbledon have been 2020, when the tournament was cancelled for the first time since World War 2 because of COVID-19, and other is this year. Federer is missing Wimbledon for the first time since 1998. Federer continues to recover from multiple knee surgeries in the last two years. The now 97th ranked player is slated to return for the Laver Cup and is pencilled in for Basel. Growing list of injuries and time off court highlights Federer’s retirement is near. Sigtia, instead of fussing over the day it does come, wants to focus on what the Swiss player has given to her, her countless fans and look at the positives. “I just want to celebrate him. We have many moments to look back at,” she says before chiming in with hope of seeing his kids play as well. Watch Wimbledon 2022 live and exclusive on Star Sports and Disney+ Hotstar Read all the  Latest News ****,  Trending News ****,  Cricket News ****,  Bollywood News ****,  India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook****,  Twitter and  Instagram****.