Latest news with #ChampionsBall
The Sun
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Sinner and Swiatek awkwardly dance at Wimbledon Champions' Ball but VIPs ‘drunk enough' not to judge
LAURA ROBSON joked that Wimbledon VIPs were 'drunk enough' that they would not have minded the awkward 1am dance between the new singles champions. It has been a long-held tradition that the two individual Championship conquerors at the prestigious grass-court tournament share the stage at the Champions' Ball and have a little boogie. 6 6 6 6 6 6 The act disappeared during the Covid years but has since returned, albeit it is begrudgingly done by the multi-millionaire winners – and they are usually not very good at it either. They might have decent footwork on the Centre Court turf but not when it comes to dancing. Jannik Sinner, who beat Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz 4-6 6-4 6-4 6-4 in the men's final on Sunday, was interviewed on stage by Robson, 31, in a black suit and tie. Yet before the Italian world No.1 could return to his table, Robson – the 2008 Wimbledon junior girls' singles champion – called up Poland's six-time Grand Slam champion. Iga Swiatek, 24, had destroyed American Amanda Anisimova 6-0 6-0 in the women's final on Saturday – the first whitewash at that stage of the competition for 114 years – and she had stayed in London until Monday. Swiatek, wearing a long silver gown and pearls, happily came up to the stage for the ceremonial dance. The room contained All England Club top brass and committee members as well as respected BBC broadcaster Annabel Croft, who finished fourth in the 2023 edition of Strictly Come Dancing. Robson said: 'Iga, if you would like to come on back up. You (Jannik) led me right into it. 'Now, no matter what you do, we are going to give it a ten out of ten. 'If Annabel is here with the Strictly cards, it's a ten out of a ten.' Adorable moment Princess Kate asks Wimbledon winner to sign tennis ball for Prince Louis after he missed the final The pair engaged in a 20-second dance, albeit at a slow pace and with one twirl, to the soundtrack of 'Feel It Still' by Portugal. The Man. And as befits two introverted characters, who are not comfortable in the media spotlight, it was not exactly a Rock 'n' Roll routine. Nonetheless, they received a warm reception from the audience at The OWO – Raffles London hotel – in Whitehall. Robson said: 'Fantastic. Look at the moves. A round of applause for both. We will let you both go. 'We said 10 out of 10, I think everyone in this room is drunk enough that it doesn't even matter. 'So, it's all good. Enjoy your champagne, guys. Enjoy the rest of the night. Congratulations.' Sinner and Swiatek individually earned a record £3million for winning seven matches over the course of two weeks. Yet their wins were mired in controversy given that the pair – Sinner (three months) and Swiatek (one month) – had served anti-doping bans since the 2024 Wimbledon Championships. Neither player had been accused of intentionally cheating or wrongdoing but the infringements that led to their suspension have been the subject of much discussion in the sport and beyond. Sinner twice tested positive for prohibited substance clostebol, an anabolic steroid, in March 2024 – he blamed it on a physio's bare-handed massage – but was cleared of fault or negligence by an independent tribunal. Between February 9 and May 4, he was suspended from the ATP Tour after an out-of-court agreement with world drug busters. Swiatek, meanwhile, tested positive for prohibited substance Trimetazidine (TMZ) in an out-of-competition anti-doping test. She accepted a one-month suspension that was served in the off-season last year. It was a result of taking contaminated melatonin tablets from Poland, which she had been using for jet lag and sleep issues.
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Iga Swiatek has to give back Wimbledon trophy after thrashing Amanda Anisimova
Iga Swiatek was forced to give back the Venus Rosewater Dish almost immediately after winning Wimbledon, with the All England Club taking the trophy and giving the Polish star a replica instead Polish tennis star Iga Swiatek experienced a bittersweet moment as she won the Wimbledon Women's singles on Saturday. Despite her stunning 6-0, 6-0 victory, which she chalked up in just under an hour, the 24-year-old soon learned that the Venus Rosewater Dish wouldn't be hers to keep. After dominating an emotional Amanda Anisimova, in what turned out to be the most lopsided final in the Open Era, Swiatek was quickly acquainted with Wimbledon's harsh tradition. The iconic trophy is traditionally taken back soon after the presentation ceremony, leaving champions like Swiatek with a smaller replica. The revelation came to light during the BBC's coverage, where host Clare Balding, and pundit Tracy Austin, were chatting about the champion's walk towards the balcony for Swiatek's celebratory moment. Balding said: "It looks so lovely that side of the clubhouse and it's just great, you've got your hands on this trophy." Austin then chimed in adding: "She keeps looking at it! It's so beautiful to see her smiling." However, 2013 Wimbledon winner Marion Bartoli was on hand to drop a bombshell. "But she can't keep it," she interjected. Bartoli continued: "You only get a replica of it. This one goes back into the trophy gallery. You will have it at the Champions Ball in your hand again, then it will go back to the trophy gallery. You don't go back home with that trophy, there is only one place and it stays in the trophy gallery at Wimbledon." After Swiatek returned indoors to snap some photos with the trophy and her team, she encountered All England Club CEO Sally Bolton, who promptly reclaimed the trophy, reports the Express. Bartoli humorously said that the Wimbledon boss will have told Swiatek that she had to give the famous trophy up. When Balding queried the French legend about the size of the replica trophy winners keep, she responded: "Three-quarters size." She added: "But all the names are engraved, all the names of the past champions who have graced that court before you are engraved with the replica you can take home. But it's only three-quarters size. But it's still beautiful." Coco Gauff also learned this hard truth in June when she clinched her first French Open title. The US Star even created a TikTok video where she joked about the smaller size of her replica trophy. Meanwhile, Andy Murray, who was absent from Wimbledon this year before the Sunday final, playfully took issue with the replica trophy situation by taking to Instagram. "Surely the tennis majors can do a better job with the replica trophies?! They are tiny," he wrote. He did add a laughing emoji in his response to Gauff's complaint however.
