JOE ROOT and Jimmy Anderson were caught on BBC TV awkwardly shuffling back into the Wimbledon Royal Box.
But it inadvertently came at a very bad time.
The England cricket legends were among the prestigious guests at the All England Club on Monday.
Roger Federer, Lenny Henry, Gabby Logan, Michael MacIntyre and Princess Kate’s parents also had special invitations for Day Eight of the Championships.
They saw Novak Djokovic, Mirra Andreeva and Jannik Sinner book their spots in the quarter-finals.
Root and Anderson – alongside their wives Carrie and Daniella – were picked up on camera returning to their seats during Sinner’s match with Grigor Dimitrov.
The match had been halted controversially at the end of the second set at around 8.30pm to close the roof due to fading light.
And that gave those in the VIP area a chance to nip out.
But as they returned at the 2-1 changeover, Root and Anderson cut it fine by scrambling back to their seats after the umpire called “time”.
BBC commentator Andrew Cotter said: “Leon Smith [LTA Head of Men’s tennis] having a chat with Joe Root and Jimmy Anderson.
“Two great cricketers in here.”
Cotter then cheekily added: “Welcome back,” as they took their seats with a smirk moments before play continued.
However, they saw just one more game of tennis.
That is because, as Dimitrov aced Sinner to wrap up the hold for 2-2 in the third set, having won the first two, he collapsed to the court in agony after seemingly tearing a pectoral muscle.
The veteran burst into tears and after briefly going off court, returned to shake hands and retire in heartbreaking scenes.
It means the Bulgarian has retired from five Grand Slams in a row dating back to Wimbledon 2024.
Sinner, who had his own injury scare with an elbow problem after a fall early on, will play Ben Shelton for a place in the semis on Wednesday.
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