Kate Middleton Burnishes Athletic Prowess With Roger Federer Collaboration

Kate Middleton and tennis champion Roger Federer have joined forces in a collaboration that sees the Laver Cup, a tournament Federer co-founded, donate proceeds from a charity day in London to two of the organizations supported by the Duchess.

The partnership, announced on Wednesday, sees Federer and Kate take part in a special tennis event ahead of the Laver Cup in East London, which will be attended by young people aged 8 to 15 working with the charities whose patron Kate is.

No date has been officially announced for the event, but it is expected to take place just ahead of Laver Cup practice day on September 22nd.

The Laver Cup is a unique tennis tournament in which 12 of the world’s top male tennis players are divided into two teams to compete against each other. Players will be split into Team Europe and Team World, with three players on each team being selected based on their international rankings. The additional three players on each side are selected by the team captain.

Federer will play alongside Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Casper Rudd in Team Europe this year when the tournament kicks off on September 23.

The day before the official start of the tournament, which will take place at the O2 Arena in London, there will be a special open training day with both teams warming up on the courts in the morning and afternoon. Money raised from ticket sales for the day will be split 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 a patron of the LTA (Lawn Tennis Association) and AELTC (All England Lawn Tennis Club) she regularly attends many matches including the annual Wimbledon Championships which are held at the AELTC each June/July.

The Laver Cup is committed to youth programs in the cities where the tournament is held each year. A press release announcing the support of the tournament by Action for Children and the LTA Tennis Foundation said the collaboration was “initiated at the recommendation of the Duchess”.

Kate and Federer are said to share a friendship with the tennis pro, who is also friends with her sister Pippa and parents Carole and Michael Middleton. When Pippa married financier James Matthews in 2017, Federer was one of the few invited guests alongside his wife Mirka.

In September 2021, Kate Federer paid a subtle tribute when she played in a friendly doubles match with Emma Raducanu after her US Open win. For the match, which also saw youngsters involved in the LTA’s youth program, Kate wore a pair of Roger Advantage tennis shoes made by On Brand, which Federer is said to be involved with.

The addition of another sporting activity to Kate’s official engagement calendar marks her as one of the sportiest members of the royal family who, like her, has ties to organizations linked to tennis, rugby and sailing.

In July, the Duchess visited Wimbledon before winning a sailing race with Olympian Sir Ben Ainslie ahead of the Commonwealth Games, which she then attended alongside Prince William and Princess Charlotte.

Royal viewers have enjoyed watching the Duchess not only watch the nation’s sporting events, but also participate in them wherever possible.

Here, news week has put together a slideshow of a collection of Kate’s best sporting moments:

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