Novak Djokovic was all smiles despite his defeat on Sunday in the Wimbledon final, saying it was a "privilege" to play before the Princess of Wales.
The tennis maestro may have lost 6-2 6-2 7-6 to the remarkable Carlos Alcaraz on Centre Court, but he cherished the Royal presence. It marked back-to-back losses for Djokovic against the 21 year old Spaniard in Grand Slam finals Alcaraz had reigned victorious over him just last year in an epic five-setter.
Bouncing back from knee surgery post-French Open, the 37-year-old Serb still made it to his 10th Wimbledon final. However, Alcaraz's sublime performance proved too much.
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Djokovic graciously accepted the runners-up award, while Kate, as the All England Club's patron, had the honor of handing out the silverware.
Kate had previously predicted that Djokovic might match Roger Federer's eight men's singles titles at Wimbledon, but it wasn't Djokovic's day. Although not taking home the title, Djokovic was visibly heartened by seeing Kate in good health amidst her preventative chemotherapy treatment for cancer after she was diagnosed after major abdominal surgery in January.
Djokovic expressed his feelings after the match, during the press conference when quizzed about his encounter with Kate. He said: "Yes, it was of course a privilege to be in her presence again. I've said to her that it is very nice to see her in good health. She seems to be in good health."
"That's obviously very positive news for everyone in this country but also for Wimbledon, for Championships to have Her Royal Highness here, of course with her family members. It's amazing. It's incredible support they've been giving over the years to this tournament.
"I know that she and her sister have played tennis for a very long time. So they truly respect, admire the game. They also understand tennis, which is great. It's wonderful to have that kind of support from the Royal Family.
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Kate, donning a striking purple dress, was spotted in the Royal Box on Centre Court alongside her daughter, Princess Charlotte, 9, and her sister, Pippa Middleton . The Royal trio were warmly welcomed by British players Emma Raducanu, Sonay Kartal, Lily Miyazaki, Lucy Shuker and Flora Johnson upon their arrival at the All England Club.
In his post-match interview on-court with Annabel Croft, Djokovic gave kudos to Alcaraz. "Obviously not the result that I wanted, of course especially in the first couple of sets, not the level of tennis I wanted," he admitted.
"It wasn't up to par from my side but credit to Carlos for playing some incredible tennis, some very complete tennis from the back of the court, serve, I mean he had it all today. I tried to push him, I saved three match points and extended it, but it wasn't to be.
He was an absolutely deserved winner today, so huge congratulations to him for amazing tennis. ".
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