After a weekend brimful of British stars of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, followed by the glitzy line-up of former Wimbledon champions for the Centre Court centenary extravaganza, Chairman Ian Hewitt welcomed another gathering of life-enhancing guests – many with special associations for what was known, before Middle Sunday became a permanent competition day, as Magic Monday.

Sitting alongside HRH Prince Michael of Kent and Lady Gabriella Windsor were guests who, like Nick Kyrgios and co strutting their stuff on the grass stage below them, make a living from the expressive arts: think wizards and wits, notable Shakespearean actors, cultural commentators and entertainers of the stage and screen.

Please stand up and take a bow, Sir Ian McKellen, Stephen Fry, Sir Mark Rylance and Sir David Suchet.

It was tempting to think the Referee’s Office had some hand in the guestlist. But the nature of scheduling and the unforeseeable elimination of players through the draw suggested that it was pure coincidence that Kyrgios, universally dubbed the “bad boy” of tennis, was observed by a whole squad of actors celebrated for their representation of forces of good and icons of righteousness.

Namely, the charismatic wise wizard Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies (aka Sir Ian), detective masterminds Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot (respectively Fry and Sir David) and an expert purveyor of happy-ever-after resolution in plays such as Much Ado About Nothing and The Tempest (thank you, Sir Mark).

Kyrgios has a truly magical repertoire of skills, but that is some gallery to play to.

Four years in a butler’s outfit playing Jeeves meant Stephen Fry must have been most appreciative of the Royal Box’s elegant provision of lunch, afternoon tea and drinks.

Sitting in the Lloyd Loom wicker chair alongside him was Kathy Lette, herself a sharp wit and best-selling novelist of books such as Courting Trouble.

Also representing the world of culture in our time was the broadcaster, author and radio presenter The Rt Hon The Lord Bragg of Wigton, more commonly known as Melvyn Bragg; Krishnendu Majumdar, TV director and producer, and Chair of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA); and art historian Neil MacGregor, the former director of the British Museum and previously the National Gallery.

Top administrators in sport enjoyed a box office line-up on Centre Court. Joining Debbie Hewitt, Chair of the Football Association, were David Williams, Chairman of the PGA European Tour, and Ian Pattinson, Chairman, General Committee, Royal and Ancient Golf Club.

The President of the Lawn Tennis Association, David Rawlinson, entertained his counterparts from Australia and the United States: Jayne Hrdlicka, President & Chair, Tennis Australia, and Mike McNulty, Chairman & President of the USTA. Also present was Katrina Adams, past president of the USTA.

Tennis was further represented by Ken Ishiguro, a multi-talented film, TV and voice actor, and tennis commentator for the Japanese satellite broadcaster WoWow, and who is the son of former Japanese player Osamu Ishiguro.

Michael Goss, Chair of the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island, was on hand to enjoy the Centre Court’s historic anniversary year and perhaps to assess the current field of players for their potential legacy.

Two more Olympians added gold-medal lustre to the proceedings: sailor Giles Scott – a two-time gold medallist in the Finn class, including at the 2020/21 Tokyo Games – and Vicky Wright, vice-skip of the GB women’s curling team, last seen on the top of the podium at this year’s Winter Olympics.

Sport relies on environmental stability, a subject close to the heart of Helen Clarkson, CEO of the Climate Group, and Charan Sekhon, Senior Environment Officer, Environment Agency, who was awarded an MBE this year for services to charity, diversity and the environment, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Following along from home this year? You can still experience the classic Wimbledon atmosphere on the Virtual Hill, presented by our Official Partner American Express.