Jannik Sinner revealed what he said to Prince George and Princess Charlotte after his Wimbledon triumph against Carlos Alcaraz.
The world No 1 became the first Italian to win a singles title at the All England Club as he avenged his French Open final defeat to Carlos Alcaraz by beating the defending champion in four sets on Sunday.
Watching on from the Royal Box was William, the Prince of Wales, and his family, with Catherine, Princess of Wales, and 11-year-old son George and 10-year-old daughter Charlotte.
Sinner signed a few tennis balls for the kids and revealed afterwards that he asked them what type of rackets they use when they play tennis.
“In the beginning, I didn’t know what to say,” he admitted in his post-match press conference.
“It’s difficult to understand, you know, how you can talk. I always try to talk very natural.
“I asked the kids if they play tennis and asked them what kind of rackets they play with, these kind of things.
“It was amazing. I believe for us tennis players, it’s so nice to have them watching us because it makes it even more special.
“You see how much they care about tennis and the sport itself. It’s very prestigious. I’ve been lucky to meet her and the whole family, and it was a very nice moment.”
Alcaraz, meanwhile, thanked Felipe VI, King of Spain, for watching on from the Royal Box after the match.
Sinner added that he was very emotional after his victory. While the 23-year-old won the Australian Open in January, he was banned for three months for failing a drugs test last year and missed out in agonising fashion at the French Open.
“Even if I don’t cry, it feels emotional because only me and the people who are close to me know exactly what we have been through on and off the court,” he said.
“It has been everything except easy. We’ve tried to push every practice session, even if I was struggling at times mentally.
“Maybe even more in practice sessions because I feel like when I play the match, I can switch off and just play. I believe that this helped me a lot.”
.jpeg?trim=41,0,42,0&width=1200&height=800&crop=1200:800 "Desperate plea for Sudan aid from UK as civil war rages: ‘Why is nobody watching?’ – UK Times")