The Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, has shown off her impressive tennis skills in a short film released over the weekend. Kate comes from a family of tennis fans and is also the patron of The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC). In the film, she was joined by Swiss tennis star Roger Federer to give a behind-the-scenes look at the work of the youngsters during the Wimbledon tournament.
Kate has been a regular at Wimbledon since before her marriage to Prince William in 2011, and she has attended almost every year since then. It’s believed that she struck up a friendship with the tennis star at the SW19 tournament, with Federer sitting down for an interview in 2013 with Kate’s younger sister, Pippa Matthews, who was appointed Contributing Editor for Vanity Fair at the time. Federer and his wife, Mirka, were also among the surprise guests at Pippa’s wedding to hedge fund manager James Matthews in 2017.
The Duchess of Cambridge has long expressed her love for tennis and reportedly used to take lessons at the exclusive Hurlingham Club in Fulham. In 2017, Kate appeared in the BBC documentary Sue Barker: Our Wimbledon, where she spoke about how Wimbledon was a quintessential part of her growing up and how it inspired her to get involved in the game.
During the interview, Kate revealed that her mother, Carole Middleton, has a little crush on Roger Federer. Federer also previously revealed that Prince George had a one-to-one tennis lesson with him while visiting William and Kate at their family home. Federer said, “At that stage, it’s all about just touching the ball, it’s already good. Same with my boys. I think I have a little advantage that I actually spent some time, you know, with him.”
Last year, Prince George attended his first-ever match at Wimbledon, joining his parents in the royal box. Kate had also been due to team up with Federer to host a special charity event as part of the Laver Cup 2022 last September, but sadly had to miss the event following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Aside from the cancellation of the tournament in 2020 due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, Kate was also advised to miss the event in 2013 when Andy Murray became the first British man to win the men’s final in 77 years. “I was very heavily pregnant with George, so I wasn’t able to turn up,” Kate told Sue Barker.
Kate Middleton’s love for tennis has been evident since her childhood, and she has consistently attended Wimbledon since before her marriage to Prince William. Her friendship with Roger Federer has also been well-documented, with the two sharing a love for the game. The Duchess of Cambridge has also passed down her love for tennis to her children, with Prince George already having had a tennis lesson with Federer.
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