Parents of Wimbledon champion snub Royal Box invite and refuse to attend match

Parents of Wimbledon champion snub Royal Box invite and refuse to attend match Jannik Sinner's parents were invited to sit in the Royal Box for his first-round match at Wimbledon 2026, but the defending champion said they declined because they didn't want to be "in front of the cameras" Jannik Sinner has revealed that his parents turned down the chance to sit in the Centre Court Royal Box at Wimbledon because they had no desire to be "in front of the cameras". Sinner, 24, defeated Miomir Kecmanovic in a gripping five-set battle during his opening round match in SW19 on Monday. The defending champion found himself 2-1 down at one stage, before battling back to triumph 3-2. Despite this, his mother and father opted not to attend his encounter against Kecmanovic. Both were extended an invitation to the Royal Box on Centre Court but decided to decline. JOIN US ON FACEBOOK! All the best sports news and much more on our dedicated Facebook page When pressed on the reason for their absence, Sinner said on Friday: "I know my parents. I asked them, but it was impossible. "They didn't say yes. It's okay, I mean I know them, I don't have to ask. Mostly I know my mum and the fact that she doesn't want to be in front of the cameras at all, same thing for my dad. I expected a firm no and it came, so all good. "We hardly even discussed it," the world No. 1 added. "They have other things to do and I understand that." The same invitation was made to fellow defending champion Iga Swiatek and her parents were both spotted in the VIP seats throughout her first-round fixture. Sinner's parents did make the trip to last year's Wimbledon final, taking their places in the player's box to witness him claim the title against Carlos Alcaraz. However, there was a famous parent in attendance to watch Sinner on Monday, as David Beckham took his mother along to Centre Court. Sinner has since advanced past Nuno Borges and then Jenson Brooksby to reach the fourth round at Wimbledon for the fifth consecutive year. The Italian defeated both in straight sets, though he acknowledged after his 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 victory against Brooksby that there remains significant scope for improvement. "For sure, very, very happy about the win," Sinner said in his on-court interview. "Trying to improve every day... small step forward today. Trying to get better... if I want to go far in this tournament, a couple things we need to handle better. "Overall very happy. He's a very tough opponent. We played each other 5 years ago. We both are improving... different players. Of course very happy about the result. Of course thanks for the support. It helped me a lot today. Thank you." The Italian's next challenge is a clash with Shintaro Mochizuki on Sunday. The world No. 150 has surrendered just one set across his opening three matches on his way to meeting Sinner in the fourth round. "We never played. But let's see," Sinner said on Mochizuki. "Whoever is in the fourth round of a Slam deserves to be there. It's gonna be a tough match. I know he played against a very tough opponent today. "Especially this surface, it's very unpredictable. If you have a slightly wrong day, it's tough to get out. Let's see. I try to look more on my side of the net, trying to be the best I can in a couple days time. Then we see how it goes. "It's always special to be back here. This court gave me so much energy also in the past, I can confirm this. Thank you so much and see you in the next round."