Centre Court is a kingmaker. The Wimbledon men’s singles final trophy ceremony is a coronation that takes place in the cathedral of the sport of tennis and it was a measure of the occasion that the anointing of the 2022 champion was to take place in the presence of two future sovereigns of England. 

Their Royal Highnesses The Duke of Cambridge and Prince George of Cambridge - second and third in line to the British throne - joined their wife and mother, HRH The Duchess of Cambridge, the All England Club patron, to watch the history-making contest from the Royal Box. 

Indeed, such was the excitement about the be-suited eight-year-old’s presence that even before the contenders had one set on the scoreboard various digital outlets had posted the somewhat confusing headline: “George’s first Wimbledon final!” 

As Nick Kyrgios, the pretender to defending champion Novak Djokovic’s throne, said in the build-up to the showcase challenge - what was at stake was the chance to have your name immortalised on the Clubhouse Honours Board among the all-time greats of the game. 

Alongside the Cambridges, other royals adding lustre to the Centre Court scene included HRH Princess Alexandra, Their Royal Highnesses Prince and Princess Michael of Kent with Lord and Lady Frederick Windsor. 

The contest on the grass below the Royal Box was the classic history-book scenario of an established monarch versus a young pretender.

The Serbian superstar was going for his seventh title: here was the defending champion walking out aiming to equal Pete Sampras’s haul of Wimbledon crowns, and move one closer to Roger “The King of Wimbledon” Federer’s majestic eight Championship triumphs. 

In his first Grand Slam final, Kyrgios, the claimant with a slightly wayward reputation, was an unknown quantity. 

If we are to run with this king-and-court analogy, you could say that other Royal Box guests of the Club Chairman Ian Hewitt represented the most important courtiers in tennis - a host of previous champions whose knowledge of the game is undeniable and whose influence remains strong. 

And some of these had privately intimated that it could be the start of a new reign at the top of the men’s game. 

Among the Australian fraternity, there was Rod Laver, the father of the modern game himself, whose dominance spanned before and after the beginning of the Open Era with titles in 1961, 1962, 1968 and 1969. And John Newcombe, whose titles were claimed in 1967, 1970 and 1971. 

That was quite a period of historic Aussie dominance to fuel Kyrgios, as well as one of the legendary Woodies sitting alongside them: Mark Woodforde, the leftie half of the doubles magicians, who with the right-handed Todd Woodbridge was anointed men’s doubles champions in a remarkable run in the Nineties (1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997 and 2000). 

Other notable former men’s champions included Stan Smith (1972), Jan Kodes (1973) and Richard Krajicek (1996). 

 

Djokovic has been seen hitting on the practice courts with his keen seven-year-old son Stefan, who surprised onlookers with his Rafa-like forehand with whipped follow-through. A NextGen Djokovic in the making? 

When it comes to tennis dynasties, the Evert family rank among the most distinguished. Chrissie Evert, ladies’ singles champion here in 1974, 1976 and 1981, was famously coached by her father Jimmy (who saw all five of his children compete and win national titles).

In the Royal Box today she was accompanied by her brother John, also a coach, both of them co-founders of the Evert Tennis Academy in Boca Raton, Florida. 

Claudia Santana, widow of the trailblazing 1966 champion Manuel Santana, also enjoyed the tennis with her guest The Most Excellent Juan Manuel Moreno, President of the Autonomous Government of Andalusia. 

The Presidents of the other Grand Slam tournaments graced the scene to witness the latest title claimed in Slam history: Jayne Hrdlicka, President and Chair of Tennis Australia, Mike McNulty, Chairman and President of the United States Tennis Association, and Gilles Moretton, President of the Federation Francaise de Tennis. 

Also present at this most telegenic of sporting occasions was Richard Sharp, Chairman of the BBC,  perhaps on hand too to pay homage to Sue Barker's last post-final interview. The presenter is taking her leave after 30 years as queen of the BBC Sport's crown jewels.

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