Kate was compassionate as she spoke to Emma Raducanu about her wrist injury at Wimbledon, also reminiscing about her childhood days waiting in line for the Championships.
The Princess of Wales told the 20-year-old British tennis star how, as a little girl, she waited in line for Wimbledon tickets with her father and sister Pippa Middleton.
She said they would be waiting “at dawn” and how much it meant to her to be able to get ground passes and be part of the queue atmosphere after Raducanu himself surprised fans waiting in line with fellow British tennis player Jack Draper yesterday.
Kate said, “They would have liked to see you,” to which Raducanu replied, “Yeah, it was really fun.” “We went there at 7:30 yesterday and it was packed.”
The British tennis hope, who was forced to miss Wimbledon with a wrist injury, has told the Princess of Wales she can return to training within a month. “I bet you’re itchy, especially with all this happening around you,” Kate told her.
The Princess of Wales told the 20-year-old British tennis star how, as a little girl, she waited in line for Wimbledon tickets with her father and sister Pippa Middleton
When asked if she could watch many games, Raducanu said she wouldn’t watch many of them because it was too fresh given her injury.
Kate responded empathetically, “It’s a difficult situation.”
During her Wimbledon stint, Kate also caught up with former tennis player Laura Robson to catch a glimpse of the action ahead of the 1pm ceremony by sitting in the crowd and watching Katie play Daria Saville.
As the skies opened up over SW19, Kate quickly took shelter under a Wimbledon umbrella before play was suspended due to the rain showers.
She later entered the Royal Box where she watched as her close friend Roger Federer was honored in a special ceremony at the club.
Games started just after 11am on most pitches at the All England Club, but the tarpaulins came out when it began to rain about an hour later.
Kate managed to catch a glimpse of Katie, who won her maiden WTA title in Nottingham and reached the semi-finals in Surbiton before rain interrupted play.
The break came at a good time for the Brit – he is 6:5 behind in the first half.
Kate Middleton, 41, braved the rain in London as she arrived for her first visit to Wimbledon this year
Kate nodded to white tennis players today as she headed to Wimbledon for a special ceremony on Center Court to honor her close friend Roger Federer
Kate also welcomed some prom girls and boys “putting their skills into action,” as she said on Instagram
At 1pm, the Princess of Wales watched as Roger Federer was joined on the pitch by his wife Mirka and fans were treated to a special video montage of his finest moments over the years.
The tennis player has become a friend of the royals and the Middletons in recent years and even attended Kate’s sister Pippa’s wedding to James Matthews in 2017.
Kate, 41, was among the enthusiastic applause as Federer, 41, was honored for his excellence in sport on Center Court after retiring from football last year.
Meanwhile, his wife Mirka watched on in the Royal Box, where other guests included Prince Michael of Kent and his daughter Lady Gabriella, as well as former Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife Samantha.
After that, Kate sat next to Federer and watched Brit Andy Murray defeat Ryan Peniston.
According to organizers, Wimbledon saw its highest attendance since 2015 on the first day of the tournament.
Kate, 41, was among the enthusiastic applause as Federer, 41, (right) was honored on Center Court for his outstanding sporting achievement after retiring from football last year
According to the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), 42,815 people attended the championships on Monday, meaning there were over 6,000 more spectators than last year when 36,603 people attended.
Michelle Dite, operations manager of AELTC, told reporters that 11,500 people queued to enter the site on Monday.
She added: “We had the highest attendance at the Championships since 2015 on day one yesterday.”
On Tuesday morning, fans waiting in line were optimistic about their chances of seeing the second day of the tournament after security checks frustrated spectators on Monday.
On day one, some spectators who had attended Wimbledon in previous years said the queue was the “worst” they had ever seen.
Organizers said extra controls put in place over concerns about the protests were to blame for the slow queue.
Some tennis fans even got creative and queued up a sofa.
The championships run until July 16th.