(Provided by Tennis World USA)
Roger Federer was a guest of honor in the Royal Box next to the Princess of Wales Kate Middleton, on day 2 of Wimbledon 2023.However, one amusing moment shattered the sacred aura of centuries-old tradition which pervades the temple of the All England Club, and it was Roger himself who risked breaking this tradition!
In particular, as reported by the Italian website Io Donna, during the meeting with the Princess of Wales in the Royal Box, Roger risked breaking the Royal Protocol.Federer entered the Centre Court of Wimbledon to watch the match between Elena Rybakina and Shelby Rogers.
Kate Middleton was waiting for him on the Royal Box.The Swiss Maestro, arriving in the Box, placed his arm on the princess’s back and leaned forward to give her a kiss on her cheek: a greeting forbidden to members of the Royal family!
The protocol prescribes that you can touch each other only if the members of the Royal Family take the first step towards a commoner.However, Kate managed to avoid this inconvenience, blocking Roger’s greeting in time!
Federer talks about his retirement from tennis
In recent days, Federer has granted a long interview to CNN and has dealt with many topics.
The Swiss legend analyzed: “When I came here last year to celebrate the centenary I had not yet decided to officially retire.The knee situation got worse and as time went on I had to make this decision. At the time I knew that hypothesis wasn’t impossible but I remember talking to people on the court and telling them I wanted to continue playing, maybe I wanted to be here now on the court at Wimbledon.These are words that I said from the heart, I really meant it.
I thought so much about where I was going to retire, I knew it was going to be painful. In the end I think it was special: I was surrounded by legends of this sport and I’m glad it went like this, also because I was scared in those moments.But now I feel good, last year was very hard, I tried several times to return but I felt too much pain in my knee.”Finally Roger returned to a trip he made on behalf of his foundation in Lesotho, where he gave hope to the local children: “It was special, even more than usual because my mother, Mirka and my four children.We had a great time, I’ve never been to Lesotho before and it was a great experience.”
Source: Tennis World USA
