David Beckham was praised by Aryna Sabalenka for staying in his seat as Wimbledon’s Royal Box emptied out after the men’s tennis finished on Monday.
Belarusian tennis player Sabalenka, 28, clearly appreciated Sir David’s support after beating Serbian teenager Teodora Kostovic, 19, 6-2 6-3.
The world No 1 thanked the crowd for their support and then paused her speech, turned to David, and said: ‘Sir David, thank you for being here!’
The former footballer, 51, had been in the audience with his mother Sandra and had sat near his former nemesis Katherine Jenkins, 46, Ronan Keating, 49, and Mary Berry, 91.
But they were later seen vacating their seats, with people using the opportunity to have a toilet break and top up their drinks.
David Beckham was praised by Aryna Sabalenka for staying in his seat as Wimbledon’s Royal Box emptied out after the men’s tennis finished on Monday
Guests including Katherine Jenkins temporarily vacated their seats during the Aryna’s game, no doubt using the opportunity to have a toilet break and top up their drinks
Sir David intently watched the game while remaining guests were glued to their phones
The sportsman conversed with Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester, while some of the seats surrounding them remained empty
Sabalenka, 28, turned to David while addressing the crowds and said: ‘Sir David, thank you for being here!’
Earlier, a packed crowd had remained seated to watch Jannik Sinner start his title defense with a five-set win against Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanović – Sir David pictured with his mother Sandra
Sir David’s son Romeo, 23, and his girlfriend Kim Turnbull, 25, had been watching on from elsewhere on Centre Court because they didn’t have invites to sit in the Royal Box.
Sabalenka and Sir David share a close professional and personal friendship.
The pair have teamed up for IM8, an elite health and daily nutrition brand co-founded by the football legend and health sciences company Prenetics.
And after mentioning Sir David, Sabalenka praised her sporting opponent Kostovic, saying: ‘She brought a really good fight. She stepped in a little more in the second set.
‘She pushed me a bit more. I’m happy I was able to close it in straight sets. I totally get it. Playing for the first time on Centre Court, it’s a lot of pressure. But I’m pretty sure she’ll deal with that much better next time.
‘I think we all get nervous. It’s just part of our lives. You kind of block that part of your brain and kind of try to focus on yourself. I think with experience I learned how to deal with nerves and expectations a bit better.
‘I have to say for the first match I felt pretty good. I’ll rate myself… let’s say 8 out of 10?’
Before that, the crowd had been watching Jannik Sinner start his title defense with a five-set win 4-6, 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-2, 6-3 against Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanović.
In the final match of the day, Novak Djokovic defeated Wu Yibing, and afterwards caught up with David and his mother.
David sat near his former nemesis Katherine Jenkins, 46 – it could have been a potentially awkward affair after he previously slated her in a leaked email about his failure to obtain an OBE
At one point, when Sir David turned toward the second row where Katherine was sitting to snap a selfie with his mum, the opera star turned away
Ms Jenkins’ position behind David could have been a potentially awkward affair after he previously slated her in a leaked email nine years ago about his failure to obtain an OBE.
After being sat in a similar position last year, she once again she found herself seated feet away from the former footballer, but didn’t interact with him.
In a series of leaked emails published in 2017, Sir David was alleged to have slammed the Welsh singer and questioned why she was awarded an OBE amid his own failure to secure a knighthood.
One email was alleged to have said: ‘Katherine Jenkins OBE for what? Singing at the rugby and going to see the troops plus taking coke. F****** joke.’
The opera star was awarded an OBE in 2014, for services to various charities and her travelling to war zones to entertain the troops. Sir David was formally knighted by King Charles III in recognition of his services to sport and charity in November 2025.
The hacked emails also suggested allegations surrounding his stance on the Scottish referendum and investing in loss-making companies to reduce his tax bill.
Sir David’s representatives dismissed the claims at the time, stating that the emails had been ‘hacked and doctored’ from a private account.
