Former England captain David Beckham was among the famous faces in the crowd for day one at Wimbledon, where reigning men’s singles champion Carlos Alzaraz was the main attraction.

David Beckham was sat a stone’s throw from Katherine Jenkins at Wimbledon, having allegedly name-dropped the singer during leaked emails referencing his lack of a knighthood.

Beckham was reportedly given the ‘all clear’ to receive a knighthood in the New Year’s Honours List as 2021 became 2022.

It wasn’t to be, though, with his omission prompting some to revisit purportedly leaked emails dating back to 2017.

The ex-footballer is alleged to have called the honours committee “unappreciative c***s,” while saying he didn’t “care about being knighted”. 

He claimed some of the emails had been “doctored” while others had been written “in the heat of the moment”.

He is alleged to have questioned why Jenkins was awarded an OBE. And, in photos from day one of Wimbledon on Monday, Jenkins can be seen just one row behind Beckham in the royal box.

“For what?” Beckham is alleged to have asked in reference to Jenkins’ award, which she received in the 2014 New Year’s Honours List. “Singing at the rugby and going to see the troops…”

Following his omission, Beckham is also alleged to have said: “I expected nothing less. It’s a disgrace to be honest and if I was American I would of [sic] got something like this 10 years ago.”

Former Manchester United and Real Madrid star Beckham, who was at Wimbledon with his mother Sandra, received an OBE of his own in 2003. However, the leaked emails were allegedly sent after he was denied a higher honour.

On the court, Monday’s action was headlined by reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz beginning his defence of the men’s singles title he won in 2023. The Spaniard, who beat Novak Djokovic in last year’s final, claimed a straight sets victory over Mark Lajal.

Djokovic’s involvement in the competition was hanging in the balance after recent injury issues. However, the Serbian number two seed will get his tournament up and running against Vit Kopriva on Tuesday, and explained his decision to take part after a knee problem forced him out of the French Open.

“My wife also kind of asked the same question, right? Which is normal,” Djokovic told Fox News. “(You are) 37-years-old, you want to maybe have less risk and prepare yourself for the Olympic Games?

“So from that perspective, I don’t have an answer to that, but I do have something that is described as a feeling of not missing out at a grand slam while I can still play and while I’m still active and at this level.”

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Source: USA Today