Ahead of Wimbledon Championship 2023, Princess of Wales Kate Middleton and eight-time Wimbledon singles champion Roger Federer visited the training location of ball boys and ball girls for the grand slam event.
In a video uploaded by Wimbledon on its YouTube account, Middleton is seen playing tennis against Federer. While trying her hands at the game, Middleton is seen occasionally seeking advice from the tennis legend.
Sporting all whites, Federer asks Middleton “Shall we play some tennis?," to which she responds, “Yes, please.” Both then team up with separate doubles partner for a friendly match.
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At one occasion, Middleton scores points by landing a shot at the line, to which Federer exclaims "I think it was on the line, amazing".
During their visit, Middleton and Federer get first hand experience of the training of ball Boys and ball Girls at Wimbledon. In the video, a ball girl named Mollie shows Middleton how to stand on the sidelines of the court in position and pass the tennis ball to a player with a straight arm.
{{/usCountry}}During their visit, Middleton and Federer get first hand experience of the training of ball Boys and ball Girls at Wimbledon. In the video, a ball girl named Mollie shows Middleton how to stand on the sidelines of the court in position and pass the tennis ball to a player with a straight arm.
{{/usCountry}}In the video, Middleton and Federer are seen interacting with the ball boys and girls. One ball girl informs Federer that last year, only 300 were selected for the job.
Middleton and Federer speak to the coaches and train with the teenagers at Wimbledon’s facility. Wimbledon Tournament Director Jamie Baker shares the hard training that the ball boys and ball girls go through.
“When you look now on the outside courts, the most worn patch on the court is the position of the ball boys and the ball girls,” tells Baker.
Middleton hails the training of the teenagers who ensure the successful organisation of the tournament.
“To see the training and the dedication and the amount of time that is put into the training and making sure this goes well on the day for the champions who are playing at Wimbledon … Yeah, it’s incredible to see it behind the scenes,” says Middleton at the end of the video.