Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, told Novak Djokovic and Elena Rybakina how happy she was that they won the Wimbledon singles finals.
Patron of the All English Lawn and Tennis and Croquet Club, Kate Middleton also gave trophies to the winners and runners-up.
GlobalsNews: Kate in a “very awkward” situation while applauding Wimbledon Winner Elena Rynakina
Later, Buckingham Palace posted pictures of Prince William, Kate Middleton, and their oldest son, Prince George, on Instagram.
Why Kate was in an “awkward situation?
Here are some reasons for Kate being in an “Awkward situation” while celebrating with Wimbledon stars.
Wimbledon star Elena Rynakina was born in Russia but lives in the U.S:
Elena Rybakina, who was born in Russia but lives in the U.S., came back from being down a set to beat Ons Jabeur and win the Wimbledon championship on Sunday morning (AEST). This meant that the Tunisian world number two, Ons Jabeur, didn’t get to make African tennis history.
At the beginning of the match, world number two Jabeur was in charge, but Kazakhstan’s 17th seed got back on track and only lost four more games on her way to her first Grand Slam title, which she won with a 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 win.
Before winning Wimbledon, Rybakina had never made it further than the quarterfinals at a Slam.
Russian and Belarusian players are banned this year to play:
This year, Russian and Belarusian players were not allowed to play at Wimbledon because their countries invaded Ukraine. In 2018, Rybakina switched her allegiance to Kazakhstan. She is the first Kazakh player to win Wimbledon, and she had always avoided talking about where she was from.
“I’m proud to stand for Kazakhstan. They had faith in me. The 23-year-old said before the final, “There is no question about how I feel.”
“I’ve been a Kazakh player for a long time now. I played in the Olympics and Fed Cup.
Rybakina chose not to say how much time she spends in Moscow. Instead, she said that when she’s not on tour, she trains in Slovakia and Dubai.
Rybakina, whose parents live in the Russian capital, said, “So I don’t live anywhere.”
Part of the reason why Wimbledon banned Russian players, which caused a huge uproar in the tennis world and led many players, including Novak Djokovic, to criticize the All England Club, was to prevent a member of the royal family from handing the trophy to a Russian winner while Vladimir Putin is at war with Ukraine.
But in the end, the Duchess of Cambridge gave the Venus Rosewater Dish to Rybakina, a tennis player who was born and raised in Russia.
Some tennis experts said that the final result looked a little bit “awkward.”
Jon Wertheim wrote in Sports Illustrated, “No one who helped make this decision (to ban Russian players) wanted to see or glorify a Russian player lifting the trophy so that Vladimir Putin could use it as propaganda.” That would have been too much. But Rybakina is a player who was born in Moscow and grew up there. There, her family still lives. But she was able to play because the Kazakhstan federation gave her money and she changed her name.
We don’t blame Rybakina for her choice, and the ban wasn’t her fault:
“As we’ve said before, we don’t blame Rybakina for her choice, and the ban wasn’t her fault, but it was a little strange to see a player who is Russian in every way except her passport win Wimbledon. It’s not Rybakina’s fault; it’s about how the decision was made as a whole.
“When asked about the situation during the tournament, she has been calm and diplomatic. She may have known how politically charged it was. We can’t help but feel bad for her because the ban’s flaws were made clear on Saturday.”
Ben Rothenberg, a tennis reporter, agreed that it was an “awkward situation” ending, but he also said that Rybakina’s win was a bad sign for Russia.
“Obviously very awkward after banning Russians to have a Muscovite leave with the #Wimbledon title, but I think this shows a great Russian failure,” he tweeted.
“Elena Rybakina quit Russian tennis because they didn’t help her or see how talented she was.
“Congratulations to Elena Rybakina and @djokernole for winning the @Wimbledon singles finals this weekend!” reads the message.
The Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton put the photos on her Instagram account and wrote, “Another year, another great tournament here at Wimbledon. Congratulations to @djokernole, who won the Men’s singles title again today, as well as to all the other players who took part over the past two weeks. Last but not least, thanks to the staff, team, and community for making this event possible.”
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