Wimbledon celebrates sporting stars as Centre Court salutes Royal Box heroes

Stars from England's cricket, rugby and football teams were joined by Olympic champions and tennis greats in Wimbledon's Royal Box.

Published : Jul 06, 2019 19:40 IST

Jonny Bairstow waves to the Centre Court crowd at Wimbledon.
Jonny Bairstow waves to the Centre Court crowd at Wimbledon.
lightbox-info

Jonny Bairstow waves to the Centre Court crowd at Wimbledon.

Wimbledon welcomed a host of sporting heroes to the Royal Box on Saturday - including the trophy-chasing stars of England's Cricket World Cup team.

Captain Eoin Morgan was a guest, along with key batsmen Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root, while Test bowlers James Anderson and Stuart Broad and former England skipper Andrew Strauss joined them at the All England Club.

READ | Wimbledon LIVE updates: Nadal vs Tsonga; Serena, Barty through

England football and rugby union bosses Gareth Southgate and Eddie Jones were also introduced to the Centre Court crowd by BBC presenter Sue Barker.

 

Olympic gold medal winners Chris Hoy, Ben Ainslie, Giles Scott, Mo Farah and Sebastian Coe also took up the chance to watch from the best seats in the house.

Tottenham and England midfielder Eric Dier made an appearance, as did English rugby union stars Maro Itoje, Jonny May and Dylan Hartley and Wales skipper Alun Wyn Jones, England netball captain Ama Agbeze, golfers Laura Davies, Catriona Matthew and Matt Fitzpatrick, and former boxers Carl Froch and David Haye.

ALSO READ | Silence the golden rule for ballboys and girls at Wimbledon

Former British tennis number one Anne Keothavong was joined by Great Britain Davis Cup captain Leon Smith, and past Wimbledon champions Martina Navratilova, Billie Jean King and Ann Jones were afforded prime seats.

Rod Laver, the great Australian left-hander, was front and centre and received a replica trophy from Wimbledon chairman Philip Brook to mark 50 years since his 1969 Wimbledon triumph.

Laver went on to complete his second singles calendar grand slam in that year, an unmatched feat in the sport.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment