Kate Middleton and tennis champion Roger Federer have teamed up in a collaboration that will see the Laver Cup, a tournament that Federer co-founded, donate proceeds from a charity day in London to two of the organizations patronized by the duchess.
The partnership announced on Wednesday will see Federer and Kate attend a special pre-Laver Cup tennis event in East London where young people aged 8 to 15 who work with the charities of which Kate is patron will take part.
No date for the event has been officially announced but it is expected to take place shortly before the Laver Cup's practice day on September 22.
The Laver Cup is a unique tennis tournament that sees 12 of the world's top male tennis players split into two teams to compete against one another. The players are divided into Team Europe and Team World with three players on each team selected based on their international rankings. The additional three players on each side are selected by the team captain.
Federer is set to play on Team Europe this year alongside Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Casper Rudd when the tournament begins on September 23.
The day before the official start of the tournament, which will be held a London's O2 Arena, a special open practice day will be held with both teams warming up on the courts in morning and afternoon sessions. The money raised through ticket sales for this day will be divided between two charities of which Kate is a patron, Action for Children and the LTA Tennis Foundation.
Kate is a passionate supporter of British tennis talent and as patron of the LTA (Lawn Tennis Association) and the AELTC (All England Lawn Tennis Club), she regularly attends many matches, including the annual Wimbledon championships held each June/July at the AELTC.
The Laver Cup engages with youth programs in the cities where the tournament is held each year. A press release announcing the tournament's support of Action for Children and the LTA Tennis Foundation stated that the collaboration was "initiated by a recommendation from the duchess."
Kate and Federer are reported to share a friendship with the tennis pro also being on friendly terms with her sister Pippa and parents Carole and Michael Middleton. When Pippa married financier James Matthews in 2017, Federer was among the small number of invited guests alongside his wife, Mirka.
In September 2021, Kate paid a subtle tribute to Federer when she played in a friendly doubles match with Emma Raducanu after her victory in the U.S. Open. For the match, which also involved meeting young people involved with the LTA's Youth Program, Kate was seen wearing a pair of "Roger Advantage" tennis shoes from the company On Brand in which Federer is reported to hold a stake.
The addition of another sporting activity to Kate's official diary of engagements marks her as one of the most athletically minded members of the royal family, having, as she does, associations with organizations linked to tennis, rugby and sailing.
In July the duchess attended Wimbledon before going on to win a sailing race with Olympian Sir Ben Ainslie ahead of the Commonwealth Games which she then attended alongside Prince William and Princess Charlotte.
Royal watchers have delighted in watching the duchess not just observe the nation's sporting events but, wherever possible, take part too.
Here, Newsweek has compiled a slideshow of a collection of Kate's top sporting moments:
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more
