Roger Federer steals the spotlight at Wimbledon by staying in the empty Royal Box

Roger Federer has been retired for almost four years, but Wimbledon still seems to revolve around him. On Monday, the eight-time champion found himself back in the spotlight, not because of a breathtaking backhand or another masterful Center Court hour, but simply because he refused to quit when almost everyone else did.

When Alexander Zverev and Jiří Lehecká entered the center court for the clash of the round of 16, the television cameras cut to an unusual view of the famous Wimbledon Royal Box. Usually packed with royalty, celebrities and distinguished guests, it was almost empty.

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Federer sat quietly in the first row.

While many of the invited guests left the day after Arthur Fery’s marathon victory over Grigor Dimitrov, the Swiss legend remained glued to the action, watching the start of the next match as if he still had unfinished business on tennis’ most famous court.

The image quickly spread on social media and became one of the unexpected points of the day. It wasn’t just because the Royal Box had emptied. It was because Federer, years after retirement, still seemed like the only person who just couldn’t get enough of Wimbledon.

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Earlier in the day, Federer received another hero’s welcome as he returned to Center Court, the place where he built one of the greatest legacies the sport has ever seen. His record eight Wimbledon singles titles remain unmatched in the men’s game and every appearance at the All England Club still feels like a homecoming.

He watched Britain’s Arthur Fery achieve the biggest win of his career, defeating Grigor Dimitrov in an epic five-set match before falling behind to win Jasmine Paolini and then Alexander Zverev’s evening battle against Jiří Lehecki.

Even the players could not hide their excitement at the sight of Federer’s court.

After his stunning upset, Fery pointed to the Royal Box during the on-court interview and smiled.

“We have probably the best ever there,” he said. “To play here in front of everyone and win with that support is unbelievable.

Eventually, other members of the Royal Box filtered out as the evening progressed, while Federer himself left briefly after the opening set before returning early in the second.

By then, however, the internet had already fallen in love with the picture.

Zverev’s fourth-round match against Lehecka was suspended at 10:56 p.m. local time after Wimbledon’s strict 11 p.m. curfew came into effect. The German led by two sets, 6-4, 7-5, with the third set sensitively tied at 3-3 when play was stopped. The pair return to center court to finish the match.

– The end

Issued by:

Debodinna Chakraborty

Published on:

07 Jul 2026 05:15 IST