David Beckham is praised by Aryna Sabalenka as Wimbledon's Royal Box empties out after men's tennis finishes

Sir  was praised by tennis star Aryna Sabalenka for staying in his seat as Wimbledon's Royal Box emptied out after the men's game finished on Monday.

's Sabalenka, 28, clearly appreciated Sir David's support after beating Serbian teenager Teodora Kostovic, 19, 6-2 6-3.

After her first round win, the world No 1 thanked the crowd for their support and then turned to the former footballer and said: 'Sir David, thank you for being here!'

Sir David, 51, had been in the audience with his mother, Sandra, sitting near his former nemesis Katherine Jenkins, 46; , 49, and , 91, for the men's game between and Miomir Kecmanovic.

But they were later seen vacating their seats after Sinner's win, with people using the opportunity to have a toilet break and top up their drinks.

Sir David's son Romeo, 23, and his girlfriend Kim Turnbull, 25, were also on Centre Court, but they didn't have invites for the Royal Box. 

Sabalenka and Sir David share a close, professional and personal friendship. The pair have teamed up for IM8, an elite health and daily nutrition brand co-founded by the football legend and health sciences company Prenetics.

After her win, Sabalenka praised her opponent Kostovic, saying: 'She brought a really good fight. She stepped in a little more in the second set.

'She pushed me a bit more. I'm happy I was able to close it in straight sets. I totally get it. Playing for the first time on Centre Court, it's a lot of pressure. But I'm pretty sure she'll deal with that much better next time. 

'I think we all get nervous. It's just part of our lives. You kind of block that part of your brain and kind of try to focus on yourself. I think with experience I learned how to deal with nerves and expectations a bit better. 

'I have to say for the first match I felt pretty good. I'll rate myself... let's say 8 out of 10?'

Before that, the crowd had been watching Jannik Sinner start his title defense with a five-set win 4-6, 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-2, 6-3 against Serbia's Miomir Kecmanović.

In the final match of the day, Novak Djokovic defeated Wu Yibing and, afterwards, caught up with Sir David and his mother.  

Ms Jenkins sitting in the row behind Sir David could have been potentially awkward, after he previously slated her in a leaked email nine years ago, but they did not interact.

In a series of leaked emails published in 2017, Sir David was alleged to have slammed the Welsh singer and questioned why she was awarded an OBE amid his own failure to secure a knighthood.

One email was alleged to have said: 'Katherine Jenkins OBE for what? Singing at the rugby and going to see the troops plus taking coke. F****** joke.'

The opera star was awarded an OBE in 2014, for services to various charities and her travelling to war zones to entertain the troops. Sir David was formally knighted by King Charles III in recognition of his services to sport and charity in November 2025.

The hacked emails also suggested allegations surrounding his stance on the Scottish referendum and investing in loss-making companies to reduce his tax bill.

Sir David's representatives dismissed the claims at the time, stating that the emails had been 'hacked and doctored' from a private account.