William and Kate to attend Wimbledon men's final
The royals will watch defending champion Carlos Alcaraz take on world number one Jannik Sinner on Sunday afternoon, with Kate then presenting the trophy on Centre Court.
Kate, who is patron of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, received a standing ovation when she arrived on Centre Court on Saturday to watch the women's singles final.
The princess told runner-up Amanda Anisimova to keep her 'head high' after the American suffered a heavy defeat in Saturday's final.
Kate consoled Anisimova, who was in tears, as she presented her runner-up prize.
The princess then presented the trophy to Polish player Iga Swiatek, who won the title for the first time by beating Anisimova 6-0 6-0 in a final which lasted only 57 minutes.
Speaking after the match about meeting Kate, Anisimova said: 'It was such an honour to meet her.
'She definitely had a few things to say that were making me emotional again.
'She was really kind and she told me to keep my head high.'
Swiatek said receiving the trophy from the princess was 'surreal', adding that Kate told her 'some nice stuff about the performance' on Centre Court.
The Wimbledon champion added: 'Since I was a kid, I'm a big fan of the royal family so it was amazing and I really appreciated that.
'And I'm really grateful that it was her royal highness giving the trophy.'
Last year, Kate presented the Wimbledon men's final trophy to Alcaraz in her second public engagement since she announced her cancer diagnosis.
The Princess of Wales's parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, were seen in the royal box on Monday, with the Duchess of Edinburgh and the Duchess of Gloucester also in attendance.
Ahead of the women's final, the princess – wearing a white belted jacket and pleated skirt – met eight-year-old Lydia Lowe, who performed the coin toss at the women's wheelchair final.
After shaking her hand, the princess asked the eight-year-old whether she was 'nervous' about tossing the coin, adding: 'Have you got any advice for me, because I've got to go out.'
Lydia, who suffered a brain injury in January 2024, leaving her visually impaired and having to relearn to walk, talk and eat, replied: 'Don't be nervous. Take deep breaths.'
The eight-year-old performed the coin toss while representing the Dan Maskell Tennis Trust, a charity supporting people with disabilities who play tennis by providing them with specialist equipment and grants.
The men's singles final on Sunday, with highs of 29C predicted, is unlikely to break the record of the warmest closing day at the tournament, which was 34.1C on July 3 1976.
The extreme heat during the 1976 tournament prompted organisers to allow umpires to remove their jackets.
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Leader Live
20 minutes ago
- Leader Live
Jannik Sinner puts memories of Paris to bed with scintillating Wimbledon win
Only five weeks have passed since Alcaraz stunningly saved three match points in a French Open final fightback for the ages but his hopes of a third straight victory in SW19 were dashed by his great rival. This time it was world number one Sinner, the first Italian to win a Wimbledon singles title, that came from behind, claiming a 4-6 6-4 6-4 6-4 victory in three hours and four minutes – nearly two-and-a-half hours quicker than their Roland Garros epic. Living in my dream ❤️❤️❤️❤️ Thank you!!! 💜💚 @Wimbledon — Jannik Sinner (@janniksin) July 13, 2025 'I think this is the part I'm the proudest of because it really has not been easy,' said Sinner, who only returned to the tour in May after serving a three-month doping ban. 'I always tried to be honest with me and had the self-talk too, what if, what if? I always tried to accept it. Things can happen. 'I believe if you lose a grand slam final that way, it's much better like this than someone kills you. Then after you keep going, keep pushing. 'I did a lot of intensity in every practice because I felt like I could play very good. That's why I also said after Roland Garros that it's not the time to put me down, because another grand slam is coming up, and I did great here.' The victory puts their rivalry back on a knife edge, with the 23-year-old now trailing Alcaraz only by five slam titles to four and putting an end to a five-match losing streak against the Spaniard. It is also Sinner's first slam title away from his favoured hard courts, while Alcaraz suffered a first major final defeat, unable to find the same magic that had brought him back from the brink on the clay. A penny for the thoughts, meanwhile, of Grigor Dimitrov, who led Sinner by two sets to love in the fourth round only for his body to fail him. Australian Darren Cahill, who has coached Sinner for the last three years, explained: 'We didn't speak about Roland Garros within 24 hours after the match, because the way he played, the attitude that he had on court, the effort that he gave, it was faultless, and he was just beaten by a better player in the end. What a winner from Carlos Alcaraz for the first set! 🔥👉👂 Incredible entertainment here at SW19 💫#Wimbledon — BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 13, 2025 'I think you could see that from the first match that he played that he wasn't carrying any baggage from Roland Garros. 'That's not easy to do. It's easy for us to say that in words, to put it to one side, but for the player to wipe it away and be able to come here with the mentality that he had is 100 per cent credit to him.' Alcaraz expected Sinner to reset quickly and come at him again, with the Spaniard saying: 'He didn't surprise me at all. Champions learn from the losses. 'I knew at the beginning that he was going to learn from that final, not going to make the same mistakes. The way he played today, it was really, really high.' Congratulations @janniksin for your first Wimbledon 🏆! Very well deserved! 🤝🏻 Thank you everyone for your support! 💚 I feel at home and it's really special to play here! 🫶🏻 See you all next year! — Carlos Alcaraz (@carlosalcaraz) July 13, 2025 There was an audible buzz around Centre Court as the pair warmed up, the sound of 15,000 people who could not believe their luck at having secured one of the hottest tickets in sport. Alcaraz fought back from 4-2 down to win the opening set, finishing it with a classic point where he turned defence into attack and somehow scrambled a backhand winner. But most of the champagne moments came from Sinner, who at one point was nearly struck by an errant cork. After breaking in the opening game, Sinner finished the second set with three outstanding winners, while in the third he played a tweener drop volley. Alcaraz was left on the floor as Sinner broke through in the third to lead 5-4, and he had one hand on the trophy when he moved further ahead early in the fourth. The crowd willed Alcaraz to conjure a Paris-style recovery, and the 22-year-old had two chances at 4-3, but this time it was Sinner's day. 'Today was important not just because it was a grand slam final, not just because it was Wimbledon, and not just because Carlos had won the last five matches against him,' said Cahill. 'He needed that win today. Today's match I think was a match of moments, of just who was going to step up in the big moment and make something happen. At Roland Garros it was Carlos, and today it was Jannik. So we could not be more proud of him.' Like Sinner five weeks ago, Alcaraz was able to find the positives, saying: 'It's always a bad feeling losing matches. I think it's a little bit even worse when you lose in a final. 'Overall I'm just really proud about everything I've done the last four weeks on grass here in London. I left the court with the head really, really, really high because I did everything that I could today.'
Glasgow Times
21 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
Jannik Sinner puts memories of Paris to bed with scintillating Wimbledon win
Only five weeks have passed since Alcaraz stunningly saved three match points in a French Open final fightback for the ages but his hopes of a third straight victory in SW19 were dashed by his great rival. This time it was world number one Sinner, the first Italian to win a Wimbledon singles title, that came from behind, claiming a 4-6 6-4 6-4 6-4 victory in three hours and four minutes – nearly two-and-a-half hours quicker than their Roland Garros epic. 'I think this is the part I'm the proudest of because it really has not been easy,' said Sinner, who only returned to the tour in May after serving a three-month doping ban. 'I always tried to be honest with me and had the self-talk too, what if, what if? I always tried to accept it. Things can happen. 'I believe if you lose a grand slam final that way, it's much better like this than someone kills you. Then after you keep going, keep pushing. 'I did a lot of intensity in every practice because I felt like I could play very good. That's why I also said after Roland Garros that it's not the time to put me down, because another grand slam is coming up, and I did great here.' Jannik Sinner celebrates his moment of victory (Adam Davy/PA) The victory puts their rivalry back on a knife edge, with the 23-year-old now trailing Alcaraz only by five slam titles to four and putting an end to a five-match losing streak against the Spaniard. It is also Sinner's first slam title away from his favoured hard courts, while Alcaraz suffered a first major final defeat, unable to find the same magic that had brought him back from the brink on the clay. A penny for the thoughts, meanwhile, of Grigor Dimitrov, who led Sinner by two sets to love in the fourth round only for his body to fail him. Australian Darren Cahill, who has coached Sinner for the last three years, explained: 'We didn't speak about Roland Garros within 24 hours after the match, because the way he played, the attitude that he had on court, the effort that he gave, it was faultless, and he was just beaten by a better player in the end. What a winner from Carlos Alcaraz for the first set! 🔥👉👂 Incredible entertainment here at SW19 💫#Wimbledon — BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 13, 2025 'I think you could see that from the first match that he played that he wasn't carrying any baggage from Roland Garros. 'That's not easy to do. It's easy for us to say that in words, to put it to one side, but for the player to wipe it away and be able to come here with the mentality that he had is 100 per cent credit to him.' Alcaraz expected Sinner to reset quickly and come at him again, with the Spaniard saying: 'He didn't surprise me at all. Champions learn from the losses. 'I knew at the beginning that he was going to learn from that final, not going to make the same mistakes. The way he played today, it was really, really high.' Congratulations @janniksin for your first Wimbledon 🏆! Very well deserved! 🤝🏻 Thank you everyone for your support! 💚 I feel at home and it's really special to play here! 🫶🏻 See you all next year! — Carlos Alcaraz (@carlosalcaraz) July 13, 2025 There was an audible buzz around Centre Court as the pair warmed up, the sound of 15,000 people who could not believe their luck at having secured one of the hottest tickets in sport. Alcaraz fought back from 4-2 down to win the opening set, finishing it with a classic point where he turned defence into attack and somehow scrambled a backhand winner. But most of the champagne moments came from Sinner, who at one point was nearly struck by an errant cork. After breaking in the opening game, Sinner finished the second set with three outstanding winners, while in the third he played a tweener drop volley. Jannik Sinner plays a tweener volley (Jordan Pettitt/PA) Alcaraz was left on the floor as Sinner broke through in the third to lead 5-4, and he had one hand on the trophy when he moved further ahead early in the fourth. The crowd willed Alcaraz to conjure a Paris-style recovery, and the 22-year-old had two chances at 4-3, but this time it was Sinner's day. 'Today was important not just because it was a grand slam final, not just because it was Wimbledon, and not just because Carlos had won the last five matches against him,' said Cahill. Jannik Sinner celebrates his victory (John Walton/PA) 'He needed that win today. Today's match I think was a match of moments, of just who was going to step up in the big moment and make something happen. At Roland Garros it was Carlos, and today it was Jannik. So we could not be more proud of him.' Like Sinner five weeks ago, Alcaraz was able to find the positives, saying: 'It's always a bad feeling losing matches. I think it's a little bit even worse when you lose in a final. 'Overall I'm just really proud about everything I've done the last four weeks on grass here in London. I left the court with the head really, really, really high because I did everything that I could today.'
The Independent
32 minutes ago
- The Independent
Prince George beats the heat in Royal Box at Wimbledon final
Prince George was spotted using a folding hand fan to keep cool as temperatures soared during the men's singles final at Wimbledon. The young royal sat in the Royal Box on Centre Court alongside his father, the Prince of Wales, who wore a sharp double-breasted navy suit and polka-dot tie. George looked smart in a dark jacket, pale blue shirt and striped tie as he watched defending champion Carlos Alcaraz take on Jannik Sinner. With temperatures reaching 27C in south-west London, George was seen opening and fanning himself with a dark wood-slatted hand fan and sipping bottled water with his father during a break in play. His sister, Princess Charlotte, also used one of the fans to cool herself in the afternoon sun. The fans, which featured a traditional folding design with brown wooden ribs and paper leaves, were widely used by Royal Box guests as they tried to stay comfortable in the heat. The Wales family arrived ahead of the final and paused to greet 11-year-old Ambrose Caldecott – the young cancer patient chosen to perform the ceremonial coin toss. Kate was heard telling him: 'Good luck today, we'll be cheering you on.' The Princess of Wales wore a royal blue dress, while Charlotte opted for a beige summer dress. They were joined in the box by a host of celebrities including Keira Knightley, Andrew Scott, Paul Mescal, Nicole Kidman and Dame Anna Wintour. Many guests chose lightweight tailoring, sunglasses and handheld fans to deal with the hot weather. The appearance marked another high-profile Wimbledon outing for Prince George, who also attended the men's final in 2022 and 2023. The family looked relaxed as they took in the final match of the fortnight under clear skies.
