Roger Federer and Kate Middleton’s closeness doesn’t sit well with wife Mirka as the Swiss gets honored at Wimbledon

Roger Federer has romanced Wimbledon for 24 years. Since the time the Swiss Master lost to Jiri Novak in five sets in 1999 at The Championships, Federer has blossomed, just like the flowers near the famous tennis lawns, err courts, in London’s most famous suburb. Church Road, SW 19, is not just a postal code, one associates it with Wimbledon.

Almost everything there is romantic, from tennis fans lining up for days and nights to get a peep inside the most famous tennis complex. There are also the well-heeled, rich Londoners, who are Debenture Holders. They will get not just an entry into the show courts but also sip the most expensive wines and champagnes. They come to see and also be seen!

Ah, classy? Indeed. They dress well, in suits and formals, with the leather shoes of the men shining, after spit and polish treatment. The women will be dressed even more elegantly, wearing high heels/spikes and the most expensive perfumes. On Tuesday, one man in a mood to charm, make the lady swoon, and then get away with an attempt to plant a kiss on the cheek of Royalty was no commoner.

Well, he was a commoner who had turned champion, eight times, to be precise at Wimbledon. Past prime, now in retirement mode, more of a socialite, entered Roger Federer. Fans clapped and cheered. The hero was coming. Players on Centre Court like Carlos Alcaraz were jealous, even hoping Federer would clap or cheer for him. Well, one hears, Federer’s heart fluttered, maybe even skipped a few beats.

Roger Federer has got his footwork wrong at Royalty Box

Understandable, as his romance with SW 19 is so old. The only difference was, Federer was not in spotless whites to step on Centre Court. His date with Wimbledon, so to say, was even more romantic, with pitter-patter raindrops stopping play on most courts. The exception was Centre Court and No.1 Court, which have retractable roofs. Federer was in the Royalty Box, dressed to kill. Wearing a formal suit and Rolex watch, it was all in sync.

Perhaps he is the quintessential romantic relic who cannot get over Wimbledon. Or, is it, that he cannot get over Kate Middleton these days? The tabloid media is agog, social media is awash, how Federer almost leaned forward, to plant a kiss on the cheek of Kate Middleton. Usually, Federer and leaning forward are associated more with skills near the net.

Kate is the Princess of Wales, present in the Royalty Box. One has to be in the best manners when you meet royalty. A handshake may have been in place. Well, one hears, the smiles on the faces of both Federer and Kate were of megawatt intensity. Chemistry? Why not, after all, a Royalty lady meeting the biggest champion of Wimbledon was special. If rumor mills are to be believed, Federer, well known for his Toblerone chocolate smile, was as happy as a teen boy out on his first date.

Maybe it did not go the way he would have wanted, as this was under the full glare of the world, since TV cameras catch every bit of action. Only Kate and Federer can confirm if it was a date and not a formal meeting after being invited. After all, Federer gets maximum love from tennis fans the world over.
Was Kate circumspect? Yes, she was, given the controversies that swirl around royalty in Britain.

Kate is well aware of her own father-in-law, King Charles, being involved in a dalliance, post-marriage, and kids with Late Princess Diana. Di, as she was known, was killed in August 1997 near Paris, a mystery which still haunts many, as she was inside a speeding car where the other occupant in the car was controversial, Dodi Al-Fayed. Di’s romancing was well known, for she had a husband who was a cheat.

To borrow a phrase from the BBC commentary in 1997 after Di’s death, it said, “A woman who thoroughly enjoyed her adulthood.” Well, Diana Charles was blamed, criticized, and castigated. Paparazzi made life miserable for her, yet Prince Charles, as he was known then, was allowed to philander with Camilla Parker Bowles, as she was known then. Camilla is today Queen of Britain, a sign of changing times.

Kate’s husband, William, Prince of Wales, was young when his mom was being ripped apart by the tabloids. He would be, of course, aware, that behavior in public as a royalty is tough. Well, William was not in the Royalty Box on Tuesday. Maybe it would have been embarrassing! As for Roger Federer’s date with Wimbledon in 2023, it was romantic, by all counts. There was a flutter, there was a banter on social media.

There was, perhaps, trouble for Federer when he went back to the hotel in London. For, his doting wife Mirka would have certainly disapproved of her husband falling head over heels to get close up with Kate. For once, it seems, Roger Federer got his footwork wrong! And that, too, in the Royalty Box at Wimbledon.

Continue Reading:

• Mats Wilander declares Roger Federer as the GOAT ahead of ‘BOAT’ Novak Djokovic following the Swiss maestro’s sensational welcome at Wimbledon
• Carlos Alcaraz jokingly admits to feeling ‘JEALOUS’ as Roger Federer visited Wimbledon but didn’t attend his match

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