Stars take supporting role at Wimbledon men’s final

Actors Kate Winslet (centre right) and Clive Owen (back) were among the celebrity guests. Picture: PA

Benedict Cumberbatch, Bradley Cooper and Hugh Grant were in the Royal Box on Centre Court, alongside a host of former Wimbledon champions.

Sherlock star Cumberbatch, 38, was joined by his father Timothy, while 54-year-old Grant was with TV executive Anna Eberstein, the mother of one of his three children.

Oscar nominee Cooper, 40, was in the exclusive box after previously sitting with Federer’s camp during the tournament.

Benedict Cumberbatch sits in the royal box on Centre Court during the men's singles final between Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. Picture: AP

Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton was also a Royal Box guest, as were former Wimbledon winners Bjorn Borg, Chrissie Evert and Rod Laver.

There were familiar faces in the players’ boxes, too, as both men are coached by former Wimbledon champions. Ice-cool Stefan Edberg was in Federer’s corner, while his one-time rival Boris Becker supported Djokovic.

Djokovic, 28, who was defending his Wimbledon title after beating Federer in the final last year, won 7-6, 6-7, 6-4, 6-3 in a match that lasted just short of three hours.

In doing so, he earned himself a cool £1.88 million, while runner-up Federer took home £940,000.

Djokovic joked that he and trainer Becker would be having “a glass of beer or a glass of wine” to celebrate.

And after equalling Becker’s three Wimbledon titles, he boasted that the former champion no longer had the bragging rights over him.

“It’s been a long run. Ever since we started working, obviously it took some time for us to understand each other,” Djokovic said. “He is somebody who, yes… He is German, I am Serbian, so there is a significant difference there.

“But we managed to find the right chemistry and he has contributed a lot. This is his trophy equally as mine, and my entire team, my beautiful wife, my family here, thank you all for supporting me, I love you.”

Asked about his habit of eating the grass after his win, the Serb said: “It tasted very, very good this year. I don’t know what the groundspeople have done but they have done a great job.

“It’s a little tradition – as a kid I was really dreaming of winning Wimbledon, so as every child you dream to do something crazy when you actually achieve it, if you achieve it, and that was one of the things.”

Djokovic revealed before the match that he had a visited a local Buddhist temple to prepare for this year’s championships.

He said: “I went before the tournament. It’s one of the places I like to go to relax,” he said. “I’m Christian but I respect all religions. I think we all pray to the same God, just in different ways.”

Federer had hoped to secure a record eighth Wimbledon men’s title after producing a masterclass performance to knock out Andy Murray in the semi-final.

The Swiss star, who is 34 next month, would have become the oldest man to win Wimbledon in the professional era.

He quashed any rumours that he may be considering retirement after his loss, saying: “I’m still very hungry and motivated to keep playing. It’s a privilege to play here.”