Roger Federer and the Princess of Wales Kate Middleton hit the Wimbledon courts
Roger Federer recently joined the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton at the All England Club to celebrate the hard work of the ball boys and girls ahead of the upcoming Wimbledon Championships.
With the grasscourt Major set to get underway on July 3, Wimbledon released a video on their official YouTube channel offering a behind-the-scenes look at the training that ball boys and ball girls undergo in order for the tournament to run smoothly.
Dressed in accordance with Wimbledon's all-white tradition, Middleton, the royal patron of the AELTC, joined Federer on the courts for a doubles competition. The pair engaged in a thrilling rally which ended with a stunning winner from the Princess of Wales, drawing cheers from the 20-time Grand Slam champion.
"I think it was on the line. Amazing!" he said.
The pair took part in various training exercises with the ball kids, learning the art of signaling correctly, ball changes, rolling the balls, feeding the balls to players and the correct technique to catch the balls.
The eight-time Wimbledon champion also chimed in to advise Middleton on the correct way to collect the ball, pointing out the contrast between the Australian Open and the grasscourt Major.
"In Australia they would catch it but here in Wimbledon they don't," he said.
Middleton made use of the opportunity to ask the former World No. 1 for tips on her serving technique.
"The serve looks good," the Swiss replied.
The Princess of Wales also shared her admiration for the hard work put in by the ball boys and girls.
"Wimbledon is renowned for its amazingly professional ball boys and ball girls. The amount of work it takes, it is incredible to see it behind the scenes," she said.
A brief look at Roger Federer's exceptional record at Wimbledon
Roger Federer's dominance at the Wimbledon Championships began in 2003 after he defeated Mark Philippoussis in the final to claim his first Grand Slam title. He defended his title successfully in 2004 and 2005 after beating Andy Roddick in consecutive finals.
The 41-year-old repeated the feat in 2006 and 2007 by defeating Rafael Nadal in back-to-back finals. Despite falling short in the final against Nadal in 2008, Federer bounced back strong in the 2009 final, defeating Roddick once more. The Swiss won his seventh title at SW19 in 2012 after beating out home favorite Andy Murray.
The former World No. 1 defeated Marin Cilic to win his record eighth and final Wimbledon title in 2017, surpassing William Renshaw and Pete Sampras' tally of seven titles at the grasscourt Major.
After recording his seventh title in 2022, four-time defending champion Novak Djokovic will have a chance to match Federer's Wimbledon title record at the 2023 edition of the grasscourt Major.