When it comes to sporting royalty, Wimbledon has drawn some of the biggest names on the globe to the All England Club this week.
On Thursday Australian captain Pat Cummins was among those who witnessed the grand farewell to Andy Murray, whose hopes of another match were dashed on Saturday when Emma Raducanu withdrew from their mixed doubles citing a sore wrist.
As defending champion Carlos Alcaraz strutted his stuff in a dramatic five set encounter on Friday, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and his wife Brittany were in attendance to see the Spaniard edge Frances Tiafoe in a thriller, while Stuart Broad and partner Mollie King were also in the Royal Box on Centre Court alongside screen legend Dustin Hoffman.
But as legendary as those sporting superstars are, arguably the biggest name of them all sat courtside as seven-time champion Novak Djokovic took on Australia’s Alexei Popyrin – and we are not talking about English captain Ben Stokes, who was also in attendance.
Indian icon Sachin Tendulkar was among the massive names who were invited to witness one of the world’s premier sporting events on Saturday and he was well-received when introduced to the Centre Court crowd on a typically chilly and wet London’s summer day.
The brilliant batsman was greeted like the rockstar he is in India by Stokes and former English captain Joe Root, who sat among an array of local sporting stars who also kept a keen eye on the European Championships as England defeated Switzerland on penalties.
As Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold put through the deciding penalty in Germany, play was temporarily halted at Wimbledon as the crowd roared in delight, with Djokovic and Popyrin engaging in some football byplay as the celebrations continued.
Murray, meanwhile, is reportedly devastated that a chance to play in the Wimbledon Mixed Doubles Championship went begging when Raducanu decided to withdraw from the event as a preventive move ahead of her fourth round match on Sunday.
The 2021 US Open champion, who will play New Zealand surprise packet Lulu Sun for a spot in the quarterfinals, had accepted an invitation prior to the closure of the draw midway through the first week but has understandably opted to prioritise her singles campaign.
Source Agencies
