David Beckham has been praised by tennis star Aryna Sabalenka for staying to watch her match on Centre Court at Wimbledon after hundreds of other fans left. The football legend was among a handful of people remaining in the Royal Box after the men's singles match between Jannik Sinner and Miomir Kecmanovic concluded.
On Monday, Beckham was joined by celebrities including Ronan Keating, Tess Daly, Katherine Jenkins, and Mary Berry in the Royal Box. However, most departed after the men's game, leaving Beckham and a few others to watch Sabalenka's first-round match against Teodora Kostovic. A social media video highlighted the empty seats around Beckham, with the caption: "In a world where the stadium clears after the men's match ends... #womeninsport." Large swaths of general seating were also empty during the women's match.
Sabalenka Acknowledges Beckham
World number one Sabalenka, 28, secured a 6-2 6-3 victory and used her post-match speech to thank the crowd, specifically turning to Beckham and saying, "Sir David, thank you for being here!" Many celebrities had left their seats for toilet breaks, drinks, or to move elsewhere after the men's match. However, Pointless host Alexander Armstrong and his wife Hannah Bronwen Snow stayed and were seen chatting with Beckham. Beckham's son Romeo, 23, and his girlfriend Kim Turnbull, 25, were also on Centre Court but not in the Royal Box.
Beckham has a close friendship with Sabalenka, having collaborated with her to promote IM8, a health and daily nutrition brand co-founded by Beckham and health sciences company Prenetics.
Beckham's Family Dynamics
Beckham's Wimbledon appearance came just days after he watched the World Cup in Miami, miles away from where his estranged son Brooklyn was. Brooklyn celebrated his father-in-law Nelson Peltz's 84th birthday, with his wife Nicola Peltz sharing photos of the couple and her family wearing matching cowboy hats at a meal. The family photos were likely a blow to Brooklyn's estranged family, whom he hasn't spoken to for over a year. He has not publicly acknowledged any of his parents' birthdays or milestones since their rift began.
Sources claim Brooklyn is "furious" with his parents David and Victoria following their social media posts on Father's Day. The 27-year-old reportedly "just wants to be left alone." Both David and Victoria shared photos of Brooklyn on Instagram despite his requests not to be tagged and to only be contacted through his lawyer.
In January, Brooklyn issued a statement saying he was cutting off his family, accusing his "controlling" parents of trying to "ruin" his marriage to Nicola Peltz and being focused on "Brand Beckham." He claimed relations became strained around his 2022 wedding, accusing Victoria of pulling out of making her wedding dress at the last minute and dancing "inappropriately on him" at the wedding. He also criticized his father David, claiming that despite traveling to the UK for David's 50th birthday, repeated requests to meet beforehand were ignored.
