Kate, Princess of Wales had to tell tennis great Roger Federer to ‘sit down’ as his rapturous Wimbledon reception went on for so long, according to former British No 1 John Lloyd. The Swiss was honoured with a special ceremony on Centre Court this Tuesday as he returned to the scene of his incredible success at SW19.
Federer’s presence at this year’s tournament was hotly anticipated by fans, who hoped to get a glimpse of the 20-time Grand Slam champion before Tuesday’s action got underway on Centre Court.
An emotional video montage was shown before Federer emerged, and he received a drawn-out standing ovation from fans, led by Kate, who was sat next to him in the Royal Box.
“He looks a million dollars,” Lloyd told the BBC. “Actually, a billion dollars. In the end, the ovation kept going on for so long that the Princess of Wales had to give him a little nudge and tell him to sit down. It could have been another hour before we even started the match. It was great. Absolutely fantastic.”
Eventually Federer, Kate and the crowd settled in for defending champion Elena Ryabkina’s hard-fought win over American Shelby Rogers, with the 24-year-old coming through in three sets.
They were also treated to a clinic by Andy Murray, who stormed through to the second round at the All England Club courtesy of a dominant three-set win over plucky underdog Ryan Peniston.
Federer’s appearance at Wimbledon was his first since announcing his retirement from professional tennis last year. Persistent injury issues meant that the 41-year-old’s last competitive outing at SW19 came in 2021, when he was beaten by Hubert Hurkacz in the quarter-finals.
Wimbledon hosted Federer’s first-ever Grand Slam win in 2003, and he went on to clinch victory on seven further occasions at the All England Club, giving him the most men’s titles in the tournament’s history.
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