Next week’s Commonwealth Games, which promise to be the biggest sporting event in the UK since the London Olympics a decade ago, will be attended by Prince William and Duchess Kate.
The royals are renowned for their sporting prowess and enjoy a little healthy competition themselves, so they will not only be watching the action firsthand but also participating in it.
The royal couple frequently exhibits their competitive nature during public appearances, from their 2011 dragon boat race to their competition while training for the London Marathon in 2017.
But there is one sport in which Prince William will always fall short: tennis. There is no denying Kate’s talent as a tennis player; she honed her game on the court at London’s prestigious Hurlingham Club. Rod Laver, a former world champion, can attest to the Duchess’ competitiveness, particularly when it comes to playing her husband.
The Australian said in an interview with Sebastian Shakespeare of the Daily Mail: “I’d met William and Kate before, and in the Royal Box, you get to have a brief conversation with them. They compete in a game of tennis. William claimed he was powerless to defeat her.”
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With young Prince George, Prince William might also discover that he has found his match. Roger Federer has given the seven-year-old private lessons at the Bucklebury home of the Middletons.
The Middleton family has known Roger for a long time, and he and his wife Mirka even attended Pippa’s nuptials to James Matthews in 2017.
Kate revealed George was a huge tennis fan and had been working on his swing with the sportstar during her 2019 trip to Wimbledon. When asked about George’s development, Roger told journalists that the young Prince showed promise and added: “At that point, all that matters is to simply touch the ball. It already has merit. Likewise for my boys.”
When told he was George’s favorite tennis player, Roger grinned and responded: “I believe that having actually spent some time with him gives me a slight advantage. Therefore, if I am the only player he has ever met, you may already know who your favorite player is.” Added him: “Look at that adorable boy. That they enjoy tennis or other sports is wonderful to see. Definitely. His mother has always loved tennis, you know. I’m done now. In a few years, I hope he’ll still be saying that.”
This year, George made his first-ever trip to Wimbledon and sat joyfully next to his parents, William and Kate, as he watched the pros during the men’s final on the final day of the competition.
