Liverpool fan Skupski suffers double devastation at Wimbledon

Yahoo

8 hours ago

Neal Skupski and Wesley Koolhof celebrate with their trophies after winning the men's doubles final against Spain's Marcel Granollers and Argentina's Horacio Zeballos (REUTERS/Dylan Martinez)
By Will Jennings at Wimbledon
Neal Skupski battled through the tears after suffering a day of double devastation at Wimbledon.
The Liverpool tennis star, 35, advanced to the second round of the men's doubles at Wimbledon on a day marred by both tragedy and personal loss.
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That morning, the sporting world had been rocked by the news that Diogo Jota had tragically died in a car crash aged just 28 in Spain.
And moments after leaving the court following his gruelling three-set triumph alongside compatriot Joe Salisbury, the 2023 champion discovered his grandmother Mary had also passed away earlier in the day.
Skupski, a three-time SW19 champion across men's and mixed doubles, is an avid Liverpool supporter who met Jurgen Klopp and his players at the training ground several years ago.
And speaking emotionally to media late last night after his 6-3 5-7 6-4 win over compatriots Josh Paris and Charles Broom, he said: 'I found out this morning, and now I've just found out my nan's passed away as well, so it's been a very tough day.
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'It was strange this morning – you're on Twitter seeing a headline in Spanish, not know what it is and think: has he actually really died?
'You never think your heroes, sportsmen or people you look up to are invincible, but it shows that everyone is human, things come at you and you just don't know what's around the corner.
'It was really tough to take – it was him and his brother so it's the whole family – my condolences go out to them.
'It's heartbreak for them at the moment – the more privacy they get the better.
'I met the whole team, he was there and lovely – I spoke to people today and they say he was not just an amazing footballer but an amazing, incredible person.
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'He was so down to earth, so nice and someone that kept the whole dressing room together to make it run smoothly. It's going to be a big loss for Liverpool and I'm sure they'll do something in his memory.'
Speaking about his nan, who died aged 98, Skupski add: 'She was a fighter – she was ill for a little bit of time, so it's a tough time to find out in the middle of Wimbledon.
'But she'd want me to be here and be proud of me fighting through. It was tough to take coming off court, but I'll be okay.
'She was probably the closest grandparent I had – I'm glad I had a little bit of time as I've known it was coming for a little bit. It's part of life, but a tough one for my family next few days.'
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Wimbledon sources say players who wish to pay tribute to Jota would be allowed to wear a black armband during their matches.
Skupski almost opted to wear one for his first round match on Thursday evening but says he will consider doing so across the rest of the Championships, with a second round clash against Nicolás Barrientos and Rithvik Choudary Bollipalli lying in wait.
'I had a black armband – I thought of wearing it but didn't in the end,' he added.
'I didn't want to wear it but maybe in coming days I might.'
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