#WimbledonThrowback: Smriti Irani tags Steffi Graf’s on-court marriage proposal video to share her love for tennis

Tribune Web Desk

Chandigarh, June 18

Among the thousands of posts that tennis legend Steff Graf received on her 52nd birthday this week, one showing the footage of a 25-year-old on-court marriage proposal that she received from a fan stood out.

As Graf prepared to serve her opponent Kimiko Date in the 1996 Wimbledon semi-final match, a fan screamed from the crowd, “Steffi, Will you marry me?” All those who had come to watch the match burst into laughter and even the former tennis star couldn’t hide her smile. After a brief pause, she asked the anonymous spectator, “How much money do you have?”, which led to another round of laughter in the stadium, lasting even longer.

The funny video has gone viral on social media with #WimbledonThrowback. Union Minister Smriti Irani is among those who commented on the video, saying she too was a tennis fan once. Irani, a former actress, wrote “Kyunki Bahu Bhi Kabhi Tennis Fan Thi”, a semblance to her famous television show “Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi”, which remained among the most-watched soaps in India for several years.