Princess Kate got to play tennis with Roger Federer at Wimbledon

Last September, Roger Federer announced that he would retire at Laver Cup, the team competition he founded. Laver Cup was held in London last year, and LC teamed up with The Royal Foundation to do what amounted to a charity day before the Laver Cup began. Kate was supposed to show up at the charity day and hit with Roger, who has been something like a “family friend” to the Middletons. That was all organized months in advance – then Queen Elizabeth II passed away, and Kate was stuck in a formal period of mourning, and she had to skip the Laver Cup charity day, and she also missed seeing Roger play his final match.

All of that means that Kate was particularly keen to find some way to hang out with Roger. It’s hilarious that this was all she could come up with – she got Roger to fly to London to make a video in appreciation for the Wimbledon ball kids. In typical Kate fashion, all she does is play dress-up and perform skits and we’re just left to shake our heads and say “sure, Kate, I guess that counts as work.” I’ll be fair to Roger: he was actually a ball kid back in the day in Switzerland, and during his career, he was known as a player who was really nice to ball kids, and he always shows appreciation for what they do.

So, basically, Kate wanted to hit with Roger at Wimbledon. Don’t get me wrong, there are people who would pay millions of dollars for that experience, so I get why she did it. It’s just funny that she managed to do it, and that Wimbledon was like “f–k it, we’ll make it into a video about the ball kids.” Also: Roger basically retired because his body was so banged up, especially his knees. I winced on his behalf a few times in the video – poor guy can’t serve the way he used to because his knees are shot. And it was cruel to make Roger get on one knee!!!

PS… I still haven’t forgotten that Kate – the royal patron of Wimbledon – completely skipped the centenary event on Center Court last year. Legends like Bjorn Borg, Venus Williams, Billie Jean King, Roger, Novak Djokovic, John McEnroe and many more were all there to celebrate Wimbledon… and Kate couldn’t be bothered.

Photos courtesy of Wimbledon’s social media.

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83 Responses to “Princess Kate got to play tennis with Roger Federer at Wimbledon”

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  1. Sugarhere says:

    Catherine Middleton has been amorously stalking and hounding Federer for a good 12 years now.

    Federer is totally her type, and the man is a reminder of the tall English gentleman with a Byronic look and a head full of dark hair, that she dumped to become a Consort.

    His name is Rupert Finch, and his initials are the same as Roger Federer.

    • Shawna says:

      Had to look him up! Very handsome. Bad choice, Kate.

      • Chloe says:

        Same had to look him up on google and a picture of him and his wife popped up. His wife is gorgeous

    • BQM says:

      He’s married to Natasha Rufus Isaacs who cofounded the fashion line Beaulah. They were both at Kate and William’s wedding and they were at Rupert and Natasha’s. The couple is also friendly with Beatrice, jack brooksbank (the Finches were at the wedding) and other royals and royal adjacents.

    • Dilettante says:

      Lucky guy, he dodged a bullet.

    • Digital Unicorn says:

      Yeah she has a type – look at how she drools over Ben Ainslie, the sailor.

    • BothSidesNow says:

      @ Sugarhere, oh, he is delicious!! I just spent 20 minutes looking at his various photos (his wedding) which brought out his features, every angle he is simply stunning! My goodness, why date or marry the heir when you could snuggle up to that every night?? I will say that Rupert was dashing at his wedding and his mannerisms are one that of any woman/partner, would want their betrothed to be see!!

      • Sugarhere says:

        @Bothsidesnow, I agree that she traded a Collin Firth / Darcy type of man for a 🥚+😡 + 🌩️ / 👑 fellow.

        Carol, who married for love, ironically chose that path for her daughter. Tragic in a sense.

      • Cairidh says:

        Did Carole marry for love? Since early teens she’d been fantasising about marrying Prince Charles and becoming princess of wales. That obviously wasn’t possible, so she ended up marrying a man whose father had flown a plane as copilot with Prince Philip. Coincidence? I’m sure it was The Middleton royal connections that attracted her.

    • Cairidh says:

      The photo posted on twitter of her with her arm around a polo guy, that people were suggesting was her lover, he also looked that type. Brown hair, tall, Rupert Like.

      • Sugarhere says:

        Waw, @Cairidh, thanks. Most of us didn’t know that Carol Middleton was already long obsessed with the RF, and that she is living her dreams vicariously through Kate.

        That explains a lot of what’s unfolding, like Kate being lenient with 😡’s philandering.

    • Abby says:

      Y’all he has SO MUCH HAIR. whew!

  2. ThatsNotOkay says:

    Just…how is this in anyway important or relevant to anything meaningful to anyone? Wimbledon had to fake a reason for this to have happened? Barf

    • Pinkosaurus says:

      All I can think about is how Kate was prevented from holding a tennis racket because that would get too much attention. I wonder how Chuck and Camzilla will like her revenge? A whole video of her hitting tennis balls with a legend! Kate is really out there doing what she wants isn’t she?

      • Tessa says:

        Kate is annoying. And mediocre. She really is not all that powerful.

      • SquiddusMaximus says:

        This! Yes, Kate irritates me, but I’m willing to entertain that it’s because her thin-skinned, talentless, entitled nobs of in-laws have forbidden her to do anything she could be good at (see: MM, Duchess of Sussex).

        She has an arsenal of information about the BRF she could easily weaponize; I’d love to see her leverage that and play all the sports with all the beautiful men she wants. Wearing normal clothes.

      • Lux says:

        They’re okay with it as long as they have no events on the same day (or any day +/- a week before their event). It’s about your event being “overshadowed.” Gosh, these bloody royals are petty. C&C are old, stuffy and so boring that even Sofiesta in a matronly dress could overshadow them.

      • Gabby says:

        Yes, didn’t Chuckles not want her photographed with a tennis racquet during one of his big events? Now we have this on the heels of William launching his big [bored with] homelessness project?

        Note to Chuckles – if you have forbid a Wales divorce, you may want to re-think it. These f-ing clowns will burn down the monarchy if they are forced to remain together.

      • BothSidesNow says:

        @ Gabby, of course KFC doesn’t want a “divorce” as it will make him look bad, never mind a notorious philanderer. As for Burger King, I think it’s safe to say that he is ready to flee the nest of his marriage.

        Though, I could see C&C denying his request as it makes Burger King utterly miserable, feeding into his incandescent beast too, forces into Keens presence yet alone married to her. This angle would be a delicious angle if you look at it that way!!

      • BothSidesNow says:

        Nope, Nada, No!!!! @ SquiddusMaximus! CopyKeen HAD at least 11 years to do something of substance before C&C were crowned Toxic & Gin!! Even QEII was wondering, “but what does she do?” and was never given an answer what she did!!!

        Nope. Don’t buy it one bit!

    • Mary Pester says:

      @tessa, yep, just another massive publicity drive for botox barbie the tennis manaquin. The way she is holding the ball is her “barbie liberty pose”, but Katy dear better get those jowls lifted for your next profile without a large hat!!

    • BeanieBean says:

      They’re holding tryouts for ball kids at Wimbledon, and I guess Federer & Kate are there for the PR. Wimbledon is coming up, I guess? ‘Cause it needs all the PR it can get, otherwise nobody would know about it. (Read with heavy sarcasm.)

  3. Tessa says:

    It’s not for the ball kids it was for Katy keen getting attention. The dm talked about Katy keen very little said about the ball kids. There were the perfect keen posts plus a significant number of negative comments getting through on the dm.

  4. Josephine says:

    right up her alley of being useless and the british press can pretend that she’s good with and likes kids. i’m sure the kids are great but i’m guessing they get the job through connections – now maybe she could highlight other kids, kids working to support their families or doing interesting things? there are a ton of great stories out there but I guess she wanted to wear barbie’s tennis outfit.

  5. The Old Chick says:

    Out will come all the people who say, Kate should do more of these ‘jobs’ because she likes them. but she gets paid millions a year to be a moron who looks good in photoshop and bullies her sil. So she likes sports, who gives a (whatever). She’s disgusting and lazy and useless.

  6. Tessa says:

    The kent family were much better patrons than keen. Princess marina and her daughter in law Catherine were beloved figures at wimbledon.as was the duke of kent who stepped aside for.keen

  7. Becks1 says:

    This whole event was literally just bc Kate wanted to dress up in a cute tennis outfit and play with Roger Federer, so they had to make it into “something” so she gets credit for “working.”

    What a waste of space she is.

    • Waste of space indeed! I’m still livid from Wimbledon 2021. Ash Barty’s win was incredible for many reasons and all she could think to say was, WHAT TIME IS IT IN AUSTRALIA. Lady, you are an idiot!

    • Alicis says:

      Not related but gosh William looked stinky at Kate at the red dress Ascot event. Saw footage of them facing Beatrice & her husband in the royal horse carriage & they all looked grim, gloomy, major tension. Would like to know what on earth it’s about. The DM write up about all of Williams flirtations over the years was interesting. They also seem to be editing comments and not fan girlinfnthe couple. I think DM is hard up on news and has something they’re harbouring

  8. EasternViolet says:

    Kate’s physique is great. She works hard at it and it shows here. My nice comment for the week 😉

    • Tessa says:

      I don’t think Kate works hard. She likes the fun patronage and is a lightweight

      • EasternViolet says:

        She works the most on her body… not the actual work involved in being the PoW. That’s what i meant… she works hard at her physical conditioning… because at 40 with 3 kids the definition of the arms and legs is not something that just happens, especially for someone who does zero labour.

    • parisienne says:

      She does look great. Her arms and legs are to die for and she does not have an ounce of body fat.

      • WiththeAmericann says:

        This seems problematic :“not an ounce of body fat.”

      • Tan says:

        Not an ounce of body fat – hi 90’s diet ad

      • Ameerah M says:

        Not an ounce of body fat would mean she is underweight. Which for her height she is.

      • Beach Dreams says:

        Awkward phrasing, considering that it’s likely that she IS dying for them in some way, ahem.

      • Minnieder says:

        If I wanted to be generous, I’d say at least she met a SINGULAR goal here (having 0% body fat). She certainly hasn’t accomplished anything else in the past 15+ years!

    • Tulipworthy says:

      Her legs look great.

    • SussexWatcher says:

      To each their own. As we say in my family, if you like that sort of thing, it’s just the sort of thing you’d like 🤷🏽‍♀️

    • Julie says:

      Hate to say this but both and she and Letizia have a phenomenal arm and leg definition.
      I did a double take on these pictures, she looks SO much younger here than when in her glam rags

      • SquiddusMaximus says:

        Fully. She has actual arm muscles, and as a tennis player and weight lifter, I am impressed.

        That is literally the only time I have said that about Katy Keen. But she apparently does have work ethic when it comes to looking rakishly thin.

      • Julie says:

        she looks so thin in regular clothes, but here in this tiny outfit, she looks very athletic, so this is all very confusing.
        In any case, she has a banging bod here, soul is still dark though.

      • Beach Dreams says:

        ^^ The differences in her appearance in different types of clothes are because she’s whittled herself down so much that her arms and legs are basically only muscles. They also won’t get any slimmer because that seems to be her genetics at play (and I’m willing to bet that she wishes they were actually slimmer).

    • SpankyB says:

      My first thought too. I’ve always thought she looked in great shape and not the eating disorder people like to throw around here. I’m guessing she spends more time doing sporty things (tennis, swimming, Pilates, etc) than actual POW work. I also hope she’s doing her trainer(s), girl’s gotta get it somewhere.

      • SquiddusMaximus says:

        PREACH. I cling to a shred of hope that she is banging a hot, sweaty, full head of hair behind the scenes.

    • Lizzie says:

      Yes, Kate only works hard for looks and that is it. She is like Melania, only interested in her figure and looks. Has she read a book since she joined the rf?

      • Cairidh says:

        At the time of the wedding a courtier said she’s “not smart – never picked up a book in her life, but very calculating.”

  9. BizzatchExtrordinaire says:

    Except for the “good choice” part, I think this was actually pretty great! She really does struggle with talking on camera, poor sausage. With good editing, she could do lots of stuff like this to bring real attention to worthwhile causes. They all could. Shame they’re all so stuck up their own a**es. They learned nothing at all from Diana’s work, nothing at all from Harry’s work. I guess the key word in that is ” learn”.

    • BeanieBean says:

      It was really dumb. I think she was trying to say something along the lines that working any sort of job when you’re young is a good thing & it builds good habits, you learn responsibility, etc., etc. Problem is, she never worked a real job so she’s got no experience to draw from. Even if you weren’t dreaming of playing tennis professionally, I bet being a ball kid at Wimbledon would be fun! What an exciting summer job!

  10. Seraphina says:

    I too play tennis with large baubles on my fingers.

  11. Amy Bee says:

    To be fair to Roger he was in town for a community tennis event in Greenwich so I guess Wimbledon and Kate took the opportunity to do this video. What I got from it was Kate lacks charisma and Roger has loads of it and still has a passion for the game.

  12. Soni says:

    While Kate looks terrible most of the time, she looks her best when she’s doing sporty activities. She looks comfortable and in her element.

    That being said, she still sucks and has not contributed anything meaningful anywhere.

  13. Red Weather Tiger says:

    Alternate Title: Big Blue Goes to Wmbledon!

    I teach college freshmen in the US, but I had a student from the UK years ago who was a ball kid for several years at Wimbledon until she aged out. She came from a very wealthy family, of course. We can’t have The Poors chasing balls on camera!

    • Madi says:

      Almost all ball kids are incredibly rich. I think their families donate for the privilege. I know there are some programs for regular kids but around the world the majority are rich. Im thinking of the usa florida scene. Some clubs pay but it very little. It’s seen more as being a soldier.

    • TeamMeg says:

      Big Blue is the first thing I noticed, too. Now, I will go back and admire the muscular definition in Kate’s toned arms and legs. No one can say she doesn’t work hard (on her physique). 🤦🏻‍♀️

    • Carrot says:

      Most of the larger/pro tennis orgs have an application process for ball kids. So if you’re not wealthy and you have kids who are super fast runners and want to try out, be encouraged and encouraging!

    • BeanieBean says:

      And here’s me thinking a tryout means everybody has an equal chance at being chosen. Shows my working class roots, I guess.

  14. ales says:

    More photo oppprtunities, it is all about her as usual. She never does anything that does not focus on her, she is always happiest when she is the centre of attention.

  15. Nic919 says:

    This seems pretty random. Why not have the royal foundation set up a tennis scholarship for kids who are financially vulnerable? All she does with this patronage is preen and watch tennis in the royal box. Considering it’s the one she consistently attends every year the tournament is held, maternity leave or not, she could give back a lot more.

  16. Rapunzel says:

    Tennis Barbie is getting lollipop head. Notice poor Federer has his arms crossed. He can probably feel Kate undressing him with her eyes.

    This bit*h is 41 and can’t even do more than an hours work in a day. I’m 43 and today, I’m starting a Summer Bridge Program for the doctoral program I begin in August. While teaching online. Her laziness just…. boggles my mind.

  17. Chaine says:

    OK, I got about 11 seconds in before I couldn’t take her horrible meandering diction anymore and muted it!

  18. Kokiri says:

    Whew!
    Look how happy she is!
    And that coy necklace twirling, she’s flirting for her life here.

    I still don’t understand how people say she & willy are happy together. They never ever look like this with each other.

  19. Dulcinea says:

    I usually skip her videos but watched this one bc of Roger and this woman really doesn’t know how to speak to people! She added nothing of value when talking to the girls or at the end.

    Since she’s so keen on copying, she should copy Diana or M’s work ethic and preparation for once, specially if she is to be divorced. Jeez.

    • kirk says:

      Eh. It’s YouTube so just clicked on the gear wheel and changed playback speed to 2X. The ball rolling thing looks like what I used to do with my kids when they were toddlers.

  20. Tan says:

    Cannot deal with this – Spotify and the archetypes agree not to go forward with their initial deal – omg the Sussexes are going to be dirt poor and lazy – princess Kate flashes legs and giggles at tennis hottie – omg look at this Qween slay, she is working – finger snaps – I cannot u all I cannot

  21. hangonamin says:

    huh. i actually think she looks great here? emphasize on looks. really do think sporty kate is her best look and i think she’s decently athletic given the volleys she did with Federer. can def tell she’s not a natural speaker…based on clips of her talking to the ball girls/boys. shrug…guess they’re doing fluff stuff like this bc Kate is royal patron of All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club and Wimbledon is coming up.

  22. molly says:

    Again with 40lbs of hair. She’s going to get whiplash…

  23. jferber says:

    I like Roger Federer, but it’s not a good look for him to be flattering Kate in this way. Please don’t encourage her, Roger. I’m sure you have much better things to do.

  24. jferber says:

    But the company he keeps! Kate is just using him, of course. And she is a terrible person. Let him be his lovely, gracious self to someone who actually deserves it, not this woman.

  25. Trix says:

    What does this even mean??!?!?!!?

    “With all the discipline and everything you’ve learnt, you’ll be able to take it into so many other parts of your life – things like confidence, and that feeling of pride with being on any of the courts is such a big moment.”

  26. Christine says:

    There is no proper way to ask this, sorry England! But, is Kitty pinching her own nipple in the header photo? Is this some sort of mating ritual????

  27. Jonesy says:

    Could she do anything right? Lol. Fair to him, you say. Ok good grief.

  28. Beverley says:

    Too bad her wiglets didn’t fly off while she was playing.😝

  29. Unblinkered says:

    KM can only be 5’8” v Roger Federer’s 6’1”. She is that much shorter than him hence why her hair in a whiff to appear a tad taller.
    She must wear 6” heels

  30. Shoegirl77 says:

    How nice, even a few people of colour there to show how not racist she is.