Roger Federer's wife sparks frenzy at Wimbledon as eight-time champion delays appearance
Mirka Federer was in the stands to watch Jannik Sinner vs Matteo Berrettini
BBC/GETTY
Roger Federer's wife, Mirka, opted to make an unannounced visit to Wimbledon without her husband on Wednesday with the seven-time champion expected at SW19 on Thursday.
Federer retired from professional tennis back in 2022 and has stepped back from the public eye since.
There were calls for him to take up punditry work throughout the tennis calendar, but Federer has opted to focus on his business endeavours and spend more time with his family.
He made an emotional return to Wimbledon last year for the first time since retiring and he was honoured with a special Centre Court ceremony.
Mirka Federer was in the stands to watch Jannik Sinner vs Matteo Berrettini
BBC/GETTY
And the Swiss sporting icon confirmed recently that he would be making a return to Wimbledon this year.
While promoting his documentary 'Federer: Twelce Final Days', the 20-time Grand Slam champion revealed his kids were the ones who wanted to go back to Wimbledon.
"I'm making plans, kids are pushing me there," he said.
"I’m happy at home but the kids said ‘No we wanna come to Wimbledon this year, you were last year without us!’, so, hey, then we go to Wimbledon."
And it appears as though Federer's family couldn't wait to take in some of the action at SW19 as Mirka and their four kids were seen in the stands watching Jannik Sinner's match against Matteo Berrettini on Wednesday.
Federer was nowhere to be seen and it was reported by the Times that Federer would be making an appearance on Thursday.
Mirka's appearance on TV sparked a frenzy online with fans asking where Federer was.
One message read: "MIRKA IS IN THE CENTRE COURT ROGER COME OUT PLEASEEEEE."
Hello, Mirka 👋#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/vFRvTtXres
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 3, 2024
Another person said: "Mirka Federer is here ... Come on Roger."
A third posted: "Mirka is watching Sinner vs. Berrettini. Federer must be around the corner."
His scheduled appearance coincides with Andy Murray's doubles match alongside his brother Jamie.
LATEST SPORT NEWS:
Andy Murray could have Roger Federer watching him at Wimbledon
REUTERS
Federer will likely be given a seat in the royal box with the Murray brothers playing last on Centre Court.
But Jacob Fearnley could be the first British player Federer watches on Thursday with the wildcard facing off against Novak Djokovic first on Centre Court.
Fearnley was ranked 525th in the world just a few weeks ago, but has jumped up the rankings after winning the Nottingham Open recently and followed that up with a straight-sets win over Alejandro Moro Canas in the first round of Wimbledon.