Wimbledon has come and gone, which means an extruciating wait until we get to our next major: The US Open.
But let’s not get too disconsolate just yet. There are still a few things we need to talk about the tennis tournament, including how so many people like to play dress-up when attending the most prestigious event in the sport.
And a Tottenham (and ex-Tottenham) contingent was among the crowd in SW17. We of course talked about Europa League champion Ange Postecoglou last week, but there were a few other familiar faces. Let’s take a look:
Vinai Venkatesham
That’s the Tottenham chief executive officer sitting in the Royal Box during a women’s quarterfinal match between Mirra Andreeva and Belinda Bencic. During commentary for a men’s singles semifinals match, eight-time Grand Slam Champion Andre Agassi called these seats the “rich people’s seats”.
It is a very exclusive place to sit and, yes, you have to be obscenely rich to attend. Or you can be like Agassi and receive free seats for life if you win the tournament. It also has a dress code, which makes watching the sport more uncomfortable than it should be.
Beth England
Speaking of the Royal Box, here is Tottenham Hotspur women’s Bethany England ahead of the men’s third roudn match between Jannik Sinner and Pedro Martinez. Sinner strolled through that match 6-1 6-3 6-1.
I’m a little surprsied to see England there, not to diminish her achievements. But there were many people of her stature who could not secure those Royal Box tickets (I assume James Maddison was one of them).
Micky van de Ven and James Maddison
Speaking of James Maddison, here he is where I am assuming the Very Important People arrive at the tournament. While entering via The Queue is a unique experience and has its festivities, those who enter it do not look (or smell) as fresh as those pictured above.
We don’t know which match Europa League Champion Micky van de Ven attended, But it’s a smart casual look, and a smart choice of apparel for such a hot week.
And here’s a closer look at Europa League Champion James Maddison with Carlos Alcaraz, the 2025 Wimbledon runner-up. Maddison was spotted with Alcaraz in the first week of the tournament.
He’s also the second known Spurs player (or former) to have some rapport with the Spaniard. Former Tottenham Hotspur player and Europa League Champion Sergio Reguilon linked up with Alcaraz in Ibiza after the French Open.
I’d really like to know which matches Maddison attended (if he saw any). The suit and tie suggest a Royal Box appearance, but no such pictures are circulating online. Instead, as the main image on this hoddle suggests, he was elsewhere in the crowd that day. But where?
We may never know the answer to that, but we did know this: He didn’t need to wear a suit (unless he was in the clubhouse, of course. Even then, though, he could’ve dressed down a little bit for the match).
Fitzie’s track of the day: Whitewash, by Bucket Head
And now for your links:
Alasdair Gold: “Morgan Gibbs-White to Tottenham transfer latest - What happened and what comes next”
The Independent: “How Sweden turned Germany’s biggest strength against them in the wildest 30 minutes of Euro 2025”
BBC: “Newcastle explore record deal for Frankfurt’s Ekitike”