Carlos Alcaraz received quite the royal welcome upon winning his second straight Wimbledon title.
After Alcaraz, 21, defeated Novak Djokovic in straight sets in the men’s final on Sunday, July 14, the tennis superstar shared a candid moment with Princess Kate Middleton and her daughter, Princess Charlotte.
Moments after stepping off the court and with trophy in hand — which was presented by Kate, no less — Alcaraz was greeted by the pair inside the All England Lawn Tennis Club. “This is Charlotte,” Kate, 42, said.
The Princess of Wales told Alcaraz that Charlotte, 9, was “cheering you on” and said “we watch a lot” of tennis at home.
As Charlotte gazed up at Alcaraz with a smile on her face, Kate asked Alcaraz about the “quick turnaround” with the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris looming.
“Yeah, it’s nonstop,” Alcaraz said. “But I have a few days to stay at home a little bit. Family, friends, relax a little bit.”
At the end of their conversation, Kate told Alcaraz, “You played so well. Enjoy your win.”
The official Wimbledon Instagram commemorated the moment with a photo of Alcaraz and a beaming Charlotte shaking hands.
“A handshake for the champion from HRH Princess Charlotte 💜,” the photo was captioned.
The memorable moment was the cherry on top of a momentous day for Kate, as the Wimbledon appearance marked a rare public outing for the princess after announcing earlier this year that she had been diagnosed with cancer.
Kate and Charlotte were all smiles from Centre Court’s Royal Box during the men’s final, where they were surrounded by celebrities like Tom Cruise and Benedict Cumberbatch and past Wimbledon champions Andre Agassi and Stefan Edberg.
Seven-time Wimbledon champion Djokovic, 37, gushed about Kate’s presence after being rewarded the runner-up trophy from the princess for the second year in a row.
“It was, of course, a privilege to be in her presence again,” Djokovic said during his post-match press conference. “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.”
In March, Kate announced she had been diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer after undergoing abdominal surgery in January.
Last month, Kate gave an update on her health in anticipation of Trooping the Colour, which marked her first official appearance since December 2023.
“I have been blown away by all the kind messages of support and encouragement over the last couple of months,” she said in a statement. “It really has made the world of difference to William and me and has helped us both through some of the harder times. I am making good progress, but as anyone going through chemotherapy will know, there are good days and bad days.”
Source usmagazine.com
