The Royal Box is reserved for members of the Royal Family and a host of distinguished tennis-loving guests from all walks of life, invited by All England Club chairman Ian Hewitt.

On Day 10, the Centre Court crowd followed quarter-final action in the presence of Her Majesty The Queen, elegant in dress-code white, as well as His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco, whose Cote d’Azur Principality is home and a climatically ideal training centre for many of the tennis elite competing on the grass courts of SW19.

A hundred and one years ago King George V officially declared Wimbledon’s new home in Church Road open, striking a gong three times to signal the start of proceedings, but it was chair umpire Kader Nouni who got things going for the box-office match between last year’s ladies’ champion and runner-up, Elena Rybakina and Ons Jabeur, with a simple toss of a coin. 

Tennis royalty was present in the form of Mr and Mrs John Barrett: he, Club Vice-President and iconic commentator, she, Angela Mortimer, a three times Grand Slam winner - victories that included the 1961 Wimbledon title.

The Royal Box boasted a high-profile expert in the ceremonial opening of proceedings, namely Sarah Clarke, Lady Usher of the Black Rod who, as the monarch’s representative in the House of Lords, is best-known for knocking three times on the door of the House of Commons to summon MPs for the Queen’s Speech at the State Opening of Parliament.

Once the first match was under way, both players were looking to make a flying start, a skill associated with Formula 1 driver George Russell, who had the unusual experience of observing the linear to-and-fro dynamics of Centre Court action after a weekend spent in dizzying circles up the road at Silverstone.

Dame Mary Berry, the doyenne of foolproof scones and treasured for her Easy Wimbledon Strawberry Cake recipe that is an annual standby for Wimbledon’s television viewers, was also among the Chairman’s guests, and no doubt far too polite to take a tasting fork to the Clubhouse afternoon treats to pronounce they were clear of soggy bottoms.

Other well-known entertainers included Sir David Suchet, best-known for playing Agatha Christie’s detective Poirot, and singer Elaine Paige, who is President of the Dan Maskell Trust.

Paige grew up wanting to become a professional tennis player, an ambition her headmistress stymied by pointing out “they'd never see you over the net” - not something Rybakina, standing just over six feet tall, has ever had to worry about.

Physical height - 6 feet, 2 inches to be precise, in cast-iron bodyform sculptures - is a characteristic of work created by Sir Antony Gormley, a fellow of the Royal Academy of Arts.

Also in the line-up were previous guest speakers at Club dinners. Stand up, former English cricketer, The Hon Chris Cowdrey, politician The Rt Hon The Lord Hague of Richmond, and novelist and broadcaster Sebastian Faulks.

As well as high-profile sports and television stars, the Chairman’s guests reflect the Club’s desire to honour people whose achievements on behalf of the betterment of society are a source of inspiration and public gratitude.

Among those recognised for extraordinary feats was Captain Harpreet Chandi, an army medical officer who in January this year completed the longest solo and unsupported polar ski expedition by a woman.

For stellar public service, there was a warm welcome for Sir John Crabtree, Chair, Organising Committee of the 2022 Commonwealth Games, who was awarded the KBE this year for services to sport and to the community in the West Midlands; and physician, scientist and clinical pharmacologist Sir Patrick Vallance, for his calm authority most memorably during the pandemic, when he was Chief Scientific Adviser to the government.

The Club’s own Chief Medical Officer, Dr Fenella Wrigley, Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Medical Officer of the London Ambulance Service, had the treat of a day surveying the players and crowd whose wellbeing she provides for so rigorously each year.

In her early years on the medical team, Dr Wrigley used to drive the Club’s golf buggy-type ambulance with a pair of fuzzy tennis balls dangling from the mirror, an acknowledgement that Wimbledon is all about ensuring a fun day out for all.

New this year:

See the draw like never before, with interactive Path to the Final view of the draw by clicking a player’s name on the draws page

See the projected Path to the Final of every player in the Gentlemen’s and Ladies’ singles draws with IBM Likely to Play

View how favourable or difficult a player's draw is, with IBM AI Draw Analysis