If you're an active social media user, chances are you've come across a Wimbledon reel featuring Roger Federer gliding across Centre Court with Pehla Nasha playing in the background.
At first glance, it looks like another fan-made nostalgic edit. Except it isn't, the clip is from Wimbledon's official Instagram account.
Over the past few weeks, the tournament has been giving its match highlight reels an Indian touch, pairing iconic tennis moments with Bollywood, Punjabi and Tamil music.
Roger Federer's elegant one-handed backhand is set to Pehla Nasha.
Serena Williams makes her entrance to Patakha Guddi, song from Alia Bhatt's 2014 film Highway. In the clip, we can see her fierce, aggressive, and "pumped-up" on-court demeanor, along with her iconic fist pumps, roaring celebrations, and dominant footwork.
Novak Djokovic has been paired with Divine's Baazigar, and other reels feature tracks such as Maari Thara Local, Unakku Thaan, Vaseegara, Tere Bina by A.R. Rahman, Karan Aujla's MF Gabru, Wavy, and Nadaan Parinde.
For a tournament that has spent nearly 150 years representing British sporting tradition, the shift is notable. It also raises an obvious question: Why is Wimbledon leaning into Indian pop culture?
The answer is that the tournament appears to be tailoring its digital strategy for one of its fastest-growing audiences: India.
While cricket continues to dominate television, younger Indian audiences have leaned towards tennis, Formula 1, football and basketball through Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts and creator-led content.
On social media, music has become more than just a soundtrack, it provides cultural context. For instance, pair a Federer highlight with 'Pehla Nasha,' and the reel immediately feels more familiar to an Indian user scrolling through Instagram.
Wimbledon isn't the only global sporting property adopting this approach.
Football clubs such as Liverpool, Manchester City and Juventus have used Bollywood tracks from films such as Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Student of the Year and Shah Rukh Khan's Main Hoon Don in social media posts, while La Liga has also experimented with Indian regional music in its digital content.
Wimbledon Meets Kuremal Mohanlal Kulfi Wale
Earlier, Wimbledon announced a collaboration with Delhi's 120-year-old dessert brand, Kuremal Mohanlal Kulfi Wale, to launch a limited-edition Strawberries & Cream Kulfi. This is a playful Indian interpretation of the championship's iconic strawberries-and-cream tradition.
For decades, strawberries and cream have been synonymous with Wimbledon. Reimagining the dessert as kulfi wasn't simply a promotional collaboration; it translated one of the tournament's oldest traditions into a format instantly recognisable to Indian consumers.
The most important thing to note is the timing. India's association with Wimbledon has evolved over the decades-from the success of Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi in doubles to Sania Mirza's achievements on the global stage.
More recently, Bollywood celebrities, content creators and athletes have increasingly shared their Wimbledon experiences online, helping keep the tournament remain part of the country's cultural conversation even beyond Indian participation on the court.
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