Soccer icon David Beckham took a break from the World Cup in the United States to attend the opening day of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships in London on Monday, June 29, 2026.
Accompanied by his mother, Sandra, Beckham sat in the Royal Box on Centre Court alongside actor Mark Rylance and singer Ronan Keating.
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Defending champion Jannik Sinner started his title defense with a five-set victory over Miomir Kecmanovic, winning 4-6, 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-2, 6-3.
Top seed Aryna Sabalenka advanced in straight sets against Teodora Kostovic, while seven-time champion Novak Djokovic overcame Wu Yibing in four sets.
Serena Williams Discusses Anti-Doping Challenges
Before the tournament, 23-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams held a press conference, highlighting the difficulties of tennis anti-doping regulations ahead of her return to singles action.
“It’s grueling. I didn’t know some of the rules, so apparently like if you miss a test.
Outside of your window, it still counts as miss, and like, so I guess I can’t go pick up my kids,” Williams said.
She noted that strict reporting protocols under World Anti-Doping Agency rules were a key reason she had previously delayed her comeback.
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“My life is busy, I run a company, I run a VC company. I travel the world.
I have children, so it’s like I could be in so many different cities, so many different times, but just getting that discipline of like reporting, obviously, I don’t mind because I love, I always have been very clear about what I do,” Williams added.
The American athlete described the daily adjustments needed to comply with the testing schedule while managing her business and family commitments.
“But just getting in that routine of like, all right, first of all, learning the new rules, and then just like getting back and like reporting every day.
I guess now for 24 hours where I’m going to be it’s just different, at least for me,” she said.
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Other American seeds Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff also advanced in straight sets, while Andrey Rublev overcame a tight second-set tiebreak against Roman Safiullin.
