LONDON — It was a so-so Wimbledon for celebrities. Diana Ross, who used to head the Supremes, and Camila the Duchess of Cornwall, who was once shunned by the Royals, headed the A-list. But on this second Monday of the Championships (arguably the best day in tennis all year), not only pop queen Beyonce but the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Kate Middleton — Britain’s future King and Queen were on hand. Youthful, vibrant – her flowing dark hair in stunning contrast to her stylish cream slightly low cut dress – Kate drew the eye of all 12,000 on hand. Okay, this was not quite like last year when the All-England Club almost came to a halt when the Queen, proper in blue, came to the place for the first time in 33 years. Still, insiders spoke of how Kate was one commoner who had come a long way; how the Royal family had learned their lesson and, unlike Camilla decades ago, were okay in allowing a commoner marry into the clan. Kate is actually a serious tennis fan and has hung out with the Henmans. But how much does she know about the game —deep bows, long stares.
We imagine the new Duchess, Kate, might know that she was watching two of the most wondrous backhands in the game — the strokes of Britain’s Andy Murray and France’s Richard Gasquet. But if she had any questions, she could ask USTA Chief Gordon Smith who was just nine seats away. But if that was too far away, Kate could just turn around and chat it up with Tony Trabert, the former American champ and longtime broadcaster or for that matter she could look over her other shoulder and talk with another King — Billie Jean — who knows a thing about the history of this game. Perhaps BJK could tell Kate about two of our favorite Royal Box incidents (both involving Pete Sampras. When the American champion was asked if he noticed Princess Diana cheering for him from the Royal Box, he flashed some of his wry/dry humor, claiming: “Maybe she has a crush on me.”
Years later, when Sampras was playing Justin Gimelstob, the American journeyman turned commentator, confided that during the match, he looked up to the Royal Box and saw “a really hot girl in the front row. I was looking at her [and] thought ‘Okay, if I play [well] here, maybe I have a shot. Then I saw Bjorn Borg [sitting right there and thought it’s] probably not going to happen.”
