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Novak Djokovic paid an emotional and classy tribute to Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, after losing Sunday’s Wimbledon final to Carlos Alcaraz.

Djokovic was heartbroken as he tasted defeat in the final to Alcaraz for the second year in a row – but he had time to talk about an issue more important than tennis.

Sunday marked Princess Kate’s second public appearance after the British royal revealed her cancer diagnosis, following widespread reporting over her health.

Princess Kate, Patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, is a big tennis fan and could soon hit with Nick Kyrgios after playing with Roger Federer.

Kyrgios has offered to coach Princess Kate and give her some lessons, insisting that she’d have more fun with him than Wimbledon’s Swiss legend Federer.

The tennis community have thrown their support behind Princess Kate given her deep love for the sport and Djokovic decided to send her a message in his post-match press conference on Sunday, saying he was delighted at her ‘good health’.

‘Yes, it was of course a privilege to be in her presence again,’ Djokovic said. ‘I’ve said to her that it is very nice to see her in good health.

The Princess of Wales presents Novak Djokovic with the runners-up trophy after his defeat in the Gentlemen's Singles final at Wimbledon
Novak Djokovic was delighted to see Kate Middleton (Picture: Shutterstock)

‘She seems to be in good health. That’s obviously very positive news for everyone in this country but also for Wimbledon, for the Championships to have Her Royal Highness here, of course with her family members.

‘It’s amazing. It’s incredible support they’ve been giving over the years to this tournament.

‘I know that she and her sister have played tennis for a very long time. So they truly respect, admire the game. They also understand tennis, which is great. It’s wonderful to have that kind of support from the Royal Family.’

Princess Kate did not attend the women’s singles final between Jasmine Paolini and Barbora Krejcikova on Saturday.

Krejcikova won that match to write herself into Czech tennis history, becoming the nation’s first woman to taste singles glory at different Grand Slams.

She dedicated her Wimbledon triumph to her late coach and mentor Jana Novotna, who sadly died of cancer in 2017.

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