The Wimbledon men's singles final at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 10, 2022, had a moment of drama when Aussie tennis player, Nick Kyrgios, hollered at the crowd and implored the chair umpire to remove an allegedly intoxicated woman who distracted him.
It was in the crucial third set when Nick Kyrgios lashed out and accused a drunk woman of interruption during his crucial service game against Serbian champion, Novak Djokovic, in the Wimbledon final.
He claimed the woman sitting very close to the court was talking to him in the middle of a tight service game while he battled to save the third set against Djokovic.
Nick Kyrgios during the Wimbledon Championships |
"She's drunk out of her mind in the first row, talking to me in the middle of the game", he erupted. "The one with the dress", he pointed.
"With the dots?" asked chair umpire, Renaud Lichtenstein. "The one who looks like she's had about 700 drinks, bro" Kyrgios fired back.
Tennis fans were quick to claim that the Duchess of Cambridge was wearing a polka dot dress in the front row where Kyrgios was pointing.
Now fans have posted ridiculous speculations that it could be the Duchess who was distracting him during the crucial game in the Wimbledon final.
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The real culprit, Ania Palus, who wore the same attire as Kate |
However, it has since been revealed that the woman in question was a Polish medical lawyer, Ania Palus, who was also wearing the same dress as the Duchess of Cambridge.
Ania Palus claims to have only had two alcoholic drinks and only had one Pimms and one glass of rosé during the match, adding that the heat got to her before she was temporarily ejected from Centre Court.
The incident threw fuel on the fire for Kyrgios, who started the match well and kept his temper in check until it started to get away from him as he lost the second set.
Ania Palus said, "700 drinks? I'd only had two, but it was rather hot and that might have got to me. I wanted to show we were for him, I wanted to encourage him, It's the temperature for me, I had no hat. I'm really sorry", she said in an interview.
She also told The Telegraph that she supported the sportsman because she had suffered from depression, like him, and sympathized. "I wanted to give him support. Maybe I took it too far, but I only had good intentions", she said.
She was given water and allowed back into the match after 15 minutes in order to watch the rest of the final.
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Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince George |
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge took to instagram to congratulate the winner and participants, "Another year, another incredible tournament here at Wimbledon. Congratulations to Novak Djokovic on becoming Men's singles champion again today and to all the players who participated over the past two weeks. Last but not least, to the staff, team and community who make this special event happen".
Kate's favorite ensemble
The Duchess of Cambridge favors a polka-dot dress during spring and summer, from one of her go-to designers, Alessandra Rich.
She'd been wearing numerous pieces of polka-dot this year alone, one during the memorial service for Prince Philip in March and another during the Royal Ascot, resembling Princess Diana's white polka-dot dress.
Kate wore Chelsea-collar Polka-dot silk crepe dress by Alessandra Rich |
For the Wimbledon men's finals, she wore a two-piece peplum ensemble by Alessandra Rich in navy blue and white polka dots. It was the second time she wore a polka-dot dress at Wimbledon this year.
The Duchess of Cambridge also wore an Alessandra Rich polka-dot dress - a pleated embellished silk crepe de Chine midi dress in Azure - on the 9th day of Wimbledon (July 5) where she attended the match with Prince William.
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Kate's Wimbledon looks this year |
What is Wimbledon?
Wimbledon Championships, known simply as Wimbledon, is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and is widely regarded as the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London, since 1877.
Wimbledon is one of the four major Grand Slam tournaments in tennis, US Open, Australian Open and French Open being the other three.
Of the four tournaments, Wimbledon is the only one which is played in traditional grass courts while the other three take place on hard and clay surfaces.
The tournament traditionally took place over two weeks in late June and early July, starting on the last Monday in June and culminating with the Ladies' and Gentlemen's Singles Finals, scheduled for the Saturday and Sunday at the end of the second week.
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Duchess of Cambridge handed out trophy to Novac |
Following traditions, all competitors must be dressed in suitable attire which is almost entirely white. Eating of strawberries & cream by the spectators, and Royal patronage is also part of the rich heritage of the tournament.
Unlike other major sporting events, Wimbledon is also noted for the absence of sponsors and advertising around the courts.
This year's winners in singles finals: Novac Djokovic for men (Serbian) and the 23-year-old Elena Rybakina, a Russian-born Kazakhstani professional tennis player, for women.
Prize for 2022 Wimbledon Championships plus trophies for Champions: Champion: £2,000,000 ($2,500,000), Finalist:£1,050,000 ($1,290,000), Semi-finalist: £535,000 ($636,000). The doubles champions share £540,000 ($662,000). Source: Sporting News
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