Stars return to Royal Box as Wimbledon welcomes back the sunshine
Blue skies and 24C temperatures returned to the All England Club after a soggy Wednesday, with fans quick to swap ponchos for sunhats and take advantage of ideal conditions on court.
Among the guests in the Royal Box were adventurer Bear Grylls, broadcaster Sir Chris Bryant and actor Rory Kinnear.
Former Dragons' Den star Deborah Meaden and comedian Clive Anderson were also spotted taking in the action on Centre Court.
Musician-turned-environmentalist Feargal Sharkey was seated alongside Dutch tennis legend Betty Stove, who turned 80 in April and famously reached three Wimbledon finals in 1977.
They were joined by a host of sporting figures including former England rugby coach Sir Clive Woodward, Olympic sprinter Donna Fraser, and incoming Lawn Tennis Association chairman William Jackson. Prince Michael of Kent led the royal contingent.
The stars were there to see Novak Djokovic face off against British Dan Evans on Centre Court, before Iga Swiatek takes on American qualifier Caty McNally.
Top seed Jannik Sinner took on Aleksandar Vukic of Australia on No 1 Court, followed by Mirra Andreeva's match against Italy's Lucia Bronzetti.
Later in the day, Maria Sakkari is scheduled to play 2022 champion Elena Rybakina, and British hope Jack Draper will face former US Open winner Marin Cilic.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Hamilton Spectator
26 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Grid penalty for Bearman at British Grand Prix after a pit-lane crash under a red flag
SILVERSTONE, England (AP) — Oliver Bearman will head into his first home race in Formula 1 with a 10-place grid penalty after crashing on his way into the pit lane under a red flag. The 20-year-old Haas rookie lost control and spun into a barrier while coming into the pits after the third practice session had been stopped because of an earlier crash for Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto. The race stewards ruled that Bearman had failed to comply with red-flag rules when he 'accelerated significantly to race pace' before coming into the pits. The stewards said the British driver had been trying to simulate coming into the pits in race conditions and had been going faster under the red flag than on his previous entry to the pits. Bearman said the crash happened because his brakes had gone cold under the red flag conditions. 'While this may have been a factor contributing to the crash, we do not consider it to be a mitigating factor,' the stewards ruled. As well as the grid penalty, Bearman picks up four penalty points, giving him a total of eight. Reaching 12 penalty points means an automatic one-race suspension. ___ AP auto racing:

NBC Sports
38 minutes ago
- NBC Sports
Eagles are still waiting for their Super Bowl LIX rings
For a team with aspirations to win a second Super Bowl in a row, it's important to turn the page on the first one. The Eagles are still waiting to do that. Nearly a month after the initial date for getting their championship rings, the Eagles are still waiting for the most coveted piece of jewelry in American sports. The rings were supposed to be distributed on June 6. The event was postponed due to production issues, and there has been no news on when it will happen. (We asked the team on Friday for an update, but got no response. Which is fine, since it was July 4.) At this point, the ring ceremony likely won't happen until the team has gathered for training camp. When coach Nick Sirianni is hoping to have the team focused fully on the task at hand, and not navel gazing over last year's accomplishments. While they deserve to properly celebrate getting to the top of the NFL's mountain, they're about to retreat to the Valley of 0-0. Along with 31 other teams, all of which will be trying to do what the Eagles have done — and which will be using the Eagles as the ultimate measuring stick. Every week, the Eagles will get the A+ game from each opponent. While they're talented enough to do it again, it will take full focus and commitment and concentration. Which means that, no, it's not ideal for the players to be getting their Super Bowl LIX rings once the climb toward Super Bowl LX has officially begun.


Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Hamilton Spectator
British and Irish Lions grind out a 21-10 win over Waratahs for a third win in 8 days
SYDNEY (AP) — The British and Irish Lions had their toughest win of the Australian tour so far, holding off the New South Wales Waratahs 21-10 on Saturday in their third game in eight days. Big back-to-back wins over Western Force on Australia's west coast and Queensland Reds on the east coast followed a similar patterns where the Lions surged in the second half after arm-wrestles early with the local Super Rugby teams. It was a different rhythm in Sydney, with a third different captain for the Lions and another re-arranged lineup with a view on the three-test tour. Center Huw Jones scored close-range tries in the 12th and 35th minutes to give the Lions a 14-0 lead, although the Waratahs had a try overturned by the Television Match Official for a lineout obstruction in between. The Waratahs scored from the second kick restart, sending the ball to the short side where winger Darby Lancaster beat some forward defenders, was knocked off balance by Hugo Keenan's attempted covering tackle before scrambling the last five meters to score in the left corner. That made it 14-5 at halftime. The Lions hadn't conceded a point in the second half of their opening two wins but that run ended less than two minutes after the break, when Waratahs hooker Ethan Dobbins crashed over after a driving maul from a lineout, with two backs joining the maul. Jack Bowen's conversion attempt hit the near upright, leaving the score at 14-10. The Lions were denied an almost immediate try in response by some desperate cover defense before scrumhalf Alex Mitchell scored in the 55th, darting to the shortside from a ruck after sustained pressure from a scrum penalty and a stream of Waratahs errors. Finn Smith converted to make it 21-10 and it appeared the Lions were starting to get on a roll again, particularly when Mitchell kicked a 50-22 to give the Lions another ideal attacking opportunity. He then threw the last pass for replacement prop Ellis Genge to drive over on the hour, but the ball was lost in the tackle and the Waratahs held firm. The Lions barged over again in the 76th but had a try disallowed for a lineout obstruction in the buildup, and weren't able to cross again in a scrappy, error-strewn encounter. The Lions are now 3-0 since a 28-24 loss to Argentina in a warmup in Dublin before the traveling to Australia for a nine-game tour, which includes three tests against the Wallabies on July 19, 26 and Aug. 2. The British and Irish squad will next play the Canberra-based Brumbies on Wednesday. __ AP rugby: