After Wimbledon Breakthrough, British Star Has a Special Invitation for George and Charlotte
Prince George and Princess Charlotte may have just received the most exciting tennis invitation of the summer.
Prince George and Princess Charlotte may have just received the most exciting tennis invitation of the summer. The future of the monarchy were recently spotted at the Wimbledon men's final alongside their mother, Princess Kate, and while royal fans were excited to catch their glimpses, they might have also caught the eye of a British tennis star. Reportedly, a rising player, who enjoyed a breakthrough run at this year's Championships, offered to hit the court with the royal siblings after learning how much their family loves tennis.
According to a report from People, British tennis star Arthur Fery invited Prince George and Princess Charlotte to hit some balls with him. Before the men's singles final got underway on Sunday, July 12, the young royals were introduced to the 24-year-old player, who celebrated a milestone tournament this year by reaching the Wimbledon semifinals for the first time. As the youngsters chatted with him, Fery quipped, "If you guys want to hit some balls sometime, that would be great." You can watch the video here.
While the kids were smiling politely throughout, soon after the invite, Kate warmly thanked Fery, replying with a simple, "Thank you." Speaking later about the encounter, Fery revealed the motivation behind his offer. "I know the whole family are all tennis fans, so I told her if her kids ever wanted to hit, I'm free," he told the BBC. When asked if he expected the Princess of Wales to take him up on it, he laughed and said, "Let's see, I don't know. Let's see if I get the call-up."
The meeting wasn't only about tennis. Kate also congratulated Fery on reaching his first Wimbledon semifinal, calling his performance "fantastic." She asked him about the pressure of playing such a big match and also surprised him with a thoughtful birthday card from the family, as the player celebrated his 24th birthday on the same day. If George does take Fery up on his offer, it wouldn't be his first experience playing with a pro tennis player. Back in 2019, Kate revealed that George's favorite player is Roger Federer, and the young prince had already enjoyed hitting tennis balls with the Swiss champion. However, it will certainly be a first for Charlotte.
The Princess has always been a massive fan of the sport. Back during a 2017 BBC interview, Kate described Wimbledon as a "quintessential part of the English summer" and recalled watching tennis legends while growing up. Elaborating on her fondness for the tournament, she shared, “I was really taken by [Andre] Agassi and [Pete] Sampras, [Goran] Ivanisevic and Steffi Graf. That for me was my first memories.”
