THE QUEEN thanked the king of tennis Novak Djokovic for putting her up at one of his properties in Montenegro, it has emerged.
Camilla, 77, attended Wimbledon on Wednesday and met the legendary Serb, 38, as part of a greeting ceremony at the All England Club.
Her Majesty then watched from the royal box as Djokovic – who has never lost when the Queen has been watching him play – completed a four-set win to book his place in Friday’s semi-final.
After the match, Djokovic insisted his chat with the Queen, a tennis fan, was “private” and unrelated to the sport.
But they appeared to discuss a trip to the Balkans, where it is claimed she stayed at one of Djokovic’s properties.
A clip of the pair talking on the players’ lawn shows Djokovic saying: “Oh yes, the property in Montenegro. Wonderful. I hope you enjoyed it.”
The Queen, who was accompanied by her sister Annabel Elliot, responded: “Lovely. It was quite a long time ago. Very nice.”
Camilla also said she had her “fingers crossed” for the seven-time Wimbledon winner’s clash with Flavio Cobolli, which Djokovic took in four sets despite a nasty fall.
Djokovic later said it was an “honour” to once again meet the Queen, who has watched him six times in 14 years in West London.
He told reporters: “We had a nice exchange.
“I was actually surprised with her comment and a question that she asked.
“It was non-tennis related. She was very pleasant. Very, very pleasant.
“Of course, it’s a great honour and privilege for me to be able to shake hands with the Queen of England. I’ve had that honour, as well, in 2010 with the late Queen Elizabeth.
“It’s obviously a phenomenal occasion for Wimbledon to host the Royal Family.
“Wimbledon has been traditionally attracting the Royal Family. It’s beautiful to see there’s still an interest for our sport.”
Djokovic and Camilla are thought to be referencing the Queen’s trip to Serbia and Montenegro in 2016, where she spent time with representatives from the Novak Djokovic Foundation.
The then Duchess of Cornwall made a trip to the Zvecanska Centre in Belgrade, which Djokovic said was “of tremendous importance and significance”.
In a video message to Camilla, the tennis star said: “We all want this project to succeed because we know how much benefit it brings to our society.
“Your presence here today is of tremendous importance and significance, since it brings this issue to the fore and attracts much-valued public attention.”
Djokovic owns multiple properties in the Balkans and is the global representative of island resort Sveti Stefan, which he has lobbied the Montenegrin government to reopen.
It is unclear which villa or resort he may have had the Queen as a guest at.
Debbie Jevans, the All England Club chairwoman, also told Camilla that Djokovic had “especially wanted to come and meet you” during her surprise visit.
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