Novak Djokovic brought his Wimbledon on-court speech to a stop as he called out Rory McIlroy, sat in the Royal Box, for a game of tennis to exchange jackets. McIlroy wore his Green Jacket, the prize for winning the Masters, to SW19, and Djokovic similarly donned a fashionable white jacket as he walked onto Centre Court.
And the 39-year-old offered to put his own items of clothing on the line, which he put back on to speak to the crowd, and one member of it specifically. The Serb was in the middle of his interview when he stopped in his tracks to pick out McIlroy watching on, and said: “I feel great. I’ve said this so many times before but I try not to take this moment for granted, playing on Centre Court of the childhood dream tournament.
“I’ve always been saying that, it stayed like that. I feel very privileged to be walking out on the court at age 30 plus.
“I don’t think it’s a cliche and I believe it’s actually true. Age is just a number and a few people that know something about that are right in the Royal Box.
“Rory, Justin [Thomas], obviously Luke [Donald], it’s nice to see you guys. Congrats Team Europe on the Ryder Cup, I watched you guys. Rory, what a beautiful jacket. Is that a Masters jacket? It must be. Round of applause for Rory for the Masters, please.
“I want that jacket. I’ll play you. This jacket for that jacket, we’ll play tennis! No golf. I want to thank them obviously for being present. I know they arrived early and stayed all day so thank you guys. It really means a lot seeing you here.”
McIlroy enjoyed a sensational 12 months, including winning the Masters to complete his personal Career Slam, before triumphing on American soil once more with Team Europe at the Ryder Cup.
And he proudly displayed his Green Jacket in the Royal Box throughout the day, having arrived before Wimbledon‘s first match on Centre Court, as Jannik Sinner beat Nuno Borges in straight sets.
He stayed for the entire schedule and watched Djokovic beat Tsitsipas comfortably, but not without the help of some nearby sweets.
McIlroy was spotted grabbing from a tin of confectionery passed on from another member of the Royal Box, but he snatched them away from wife Erica Stoll in a moment that Clare Balding on BBC spotted.
“This I think you’re going to enjoy,” Balding began. “This is a section we’re going to call Wimbledon wildcards and first of all they are handing around the sweets in the Royal Box. That’s [Edoardo] Molinari, he hands it through to McIlroy. That’s a nice lether.”
Tim Henman interrupted to say: “There’s a good supply in that bucket. A few eclairs, a few sherbert lemons.”
Balding then saw McIlroy taking the sweet away from his wife and said: “Erica then! She’s just about to take one and he rips it away!”