Best moments from Wimbledon this year: Princess Kate’s viral video, Novak Djokovic’s quest and more

This year’s Wimbledon provided plenty of exciting moments on and off the court. From nail-biting matches to a star-studded crowd, here at HELLO!, we relive the most memorable moments from the past two weeks. 

The Princess of Wales goes viral 

Princess Kate, an avid tennis fan, went viral during her visit at the start of The Championships. The royal was totally focused and was unable to take her eye off the tennis ball when she sat down as a spectator on day two of the prestigious tournament. 

In a video shared by Wimbledon, Princess Kate was seen turning her head left and right whilst following the action on one of the outer courts. “All eyes on me [tennis racket],” the now-viral clip was captioned. Watch the funny clip above.

READ: The Princess of Wales reflects on sweet Wimbledon memory during chat with Emma Raducanu 

Roger Federer’s return 

© Clive Brunskill

Eight-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer was among the guests on the second day. The sports star, who retired from tennis last year, was honoured with a special ceremony on Centre Court. 

The Swiss player, 41, has won five successive Wimbledon titles between 2003 and 2007, and celebrated further victories in 2009, 2012 and 2017. He was seated alongside his wife Mirka Federer and the Princess of Wales in the Royal Box. 

MORE: Ellie Bamber, Letitia Wright and David Beckham lead the celebrity arrivals – best photos

Umpire berates spectator who opened champagne bottle 

Perhaps the most Wimbledon moment ever? Australian umpire John Blom made headlines when he interrupted a Wimbledon tennis match between Anastasia Potapova, 22, and 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva. 

He urged spectators not to pop champagne while the players were taking their serve. “Ladies and gentlemen, please, if you are opening a bottle of champagne, don’t do it as the players are about to serve,” he said to a roar of laughter. 

Christopher Eubanks makes history

© getty

Wimbledon fan-favourite Christopher Eubanks made history this week by breaking a 31-year record that was once held by Andre Agassi. During his quarter-final match with world No.3 Daniil Medvedev, the relatively unknown player – won over crowds this year – hit an impressive 317+ winners. This tally is now the most hit during a Wimbledon tournament.

Novak Djokovic’s quest for record-setting 24th Grand Slam

© getty

This year, Novak will certainly have his eyes on the prize as he tries to claim his 24th Grand Slam singles title and eighth Wimbledon win. If he achieves the latter, he would be on par with retired tennis star Roger Federer’s record. Will he become the new GOAT?

SEE: Inside Novak Djokovic’s disciplined routine, strict diet and mental resilience for Wimbledon success  

Andrey Rublev’s ‘shot of the tournament’

Russian tennis player Andrey Rublev hit one of the best shots in Wimbledon history. During a superb rally with Alexander Bublik, the tennis star delivered one of the best diving shots. 

“That is one of the great shots we’ve seen here in YEARS,” John McEnroe exclaimed. After his victory, the 25-year-old said: “It was the most lucky shot ever. It was luck, nothing else. I don’t think I can do it one more time.” 

Andy Murray’s special invite 

British-Iranian Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who was imprisoned in Iran for six years, was invited to the Royal Box – an invite from Andy Murray. Nazanin met Andy in December last year and recalled watching him win Wimbledon in 2016 from solitary confinement, saying he offered a “connection” to her life outside prison and an “escape” from her six-year detention.

“I’m glad she could make it,” Sir Andy later said. “It was brilliant she was able to come along. I got to see her very briefly after the match. I spoke to her a while back and found it very emotional talking to her and hearing her story.” 

Exclusive: Andy Murray’s wife Kim rules out having more children as she focuses on new ‘passion project‘

He added: “Well, first she hadn’t been to Wimbledon before and after I spoke with her and the story that she told me about watching my Wimbledon final (while) she was in a cell, I felt like I wanted to invite her to come along and watch the tennis in totally different circumstances and hopefully a much more enjoyable experience.”