Prince George makes debut visit to Wimbledon 2022 to watch men's final

Trip by Prince William's son to Centre Court to watch the men's final was a special treat

Britain's Prince William, his wife Kate, Duchess of Cambridge and their son Prince George sit in the Royal box for the final of the men's tennis singles at Wimbledon. AP
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Prince George, the son of Britain's Prince William, watched his first Wimbledon match on Sunday as Serbian player Novak Djokovic won his seventh Wimbledon title.

Djokovic beat Australian Nick Kyrgios in a dramatic final.

The tennis star’s daughter was also in the crowd on Centre Court and waved at her dad as he celebrated winning the championship.

Djokovic shared some sweet moments with his wife and daughter after the match, when he was interviewed on by BBC presenter Sue Barker.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who watched from the royal box, also had a family day with Prince George, 8.

After the Duchess of Cambridge presented both players with their trophies, Djokovic waved up to his family and team as he thanked them for their support during an interview with Barker.

“My family, my parents are here, oh my daughter’s here as well. Oh wow, OK,” said Djokovic.

His daughter Tara, 4, could be seen sitting on his wife Yelena’s knee and waving at her dad.

“She’s not 5 years old yet so she wasn’t allowed to watch a match live, but next year hopefully if she’s interested, which she wasn’t so much in tennis, she can watch daddy play live,” the Serbian player told Ms Barker.

Wimbledon’s rules mean that children under 5 are not allowed on the courts to watch the matches live, in case they cause disruptions.

“My son is the only one missing because I think he is playing a set against Bob Bryan’s son at the moment because that’s what they’ve been doing in the last few days,” said Djokovic.

Djokovic's son Stefan, 7, has been seen practising with his father during the tournament, with the Serbian player telling reporters that he is “in love with tennis”.

Barker reminded Djokovic that it was his wedding anniversary, to which he said: “My gosh I’m going to buy you flowers after this, you keep on reminding me of things that I would get in big trouble if I forget.

“So darling, happy anniversary,” he said, before pointing to the trophy and joking: “This is my present.”

After leaving Centre Court, the Wimbledon champion stopped to chat with Prince George and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Djokovic was brought into a VIP area at the All England Club where he handed over the men’s trophy for eight-year-old George to hold.

The Duchess of Cambridge kept on touching the lid to keep it in place as George turned the trophy upwards so he could have a closer look at it.

Prince William also said to him: “Don’t drop it.”

Djokovic chatted to the royals for several minutes, speaking about how their sons are of a similar age, before they shook hands.

Before the final, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge greeted ball boys and girls as well as military personnel, with Prince George in the Millennium building.

The duchess, who is patron of the All England Club, explained to Prince George what the military personnel do, saying: “They look after everybody to make sure the crowds are safe and happy, doing the right thing, in the right seats, making sure the grounds are safe.”

When asked about Prince George coming to Wimbledon, she said to him: “Is this your first time? It is, isn’t it?” to which he replied: “Yes”.

When asked why their daughter Princess Charlotte was not there, the Duchess of Cambridge said: “It’s George’s treat today.”

Prince George was also asked who he was going to support and appeared too shy to answer so Prince William looked at him and whispered “Djokovic” before adding: “We’ll see how long it lasts. He’ll support the winner.”

Updated: July 11, 2022, 4:48 AM