Hugh Grant caught out while sitting behind Queen Camilla at Wimbledon

Famous actor Hugh Grant was exposed on the broadcast of Novak Djokovic’s Wimbledon match while sitting behind Queen Camilla.

Hopefully the Queen couldn’t hear him snoring.

British actor Hugh Grant was caught taking a nap in the royal box at Wimbledon overnight as the men’s quarterfinals failed to dish up much drama.

Seated with his wife Anna behind Queen Camilla, the star of Notting Hill was spotted nodding off as Novak Djokovic secured a semi-final date against Jannik Sinner.

Djokovic surpassed Roger Federer to take sole ownership of the all-time record for most Wimbledon men’s semi-final appearances, earning his 14th final four visit with a 6-7 (6-8) 6-2 7-5 6-4 win against Italy’s Flavio Cobolli.

Djokovic prepared for his match by meeting Camilla, who said: “Oh what a treat, how nice to see you.”

She told Djokovic she was keeping her “fingers crossed” for his match and the Serb replied: “It will be my great honour. I appreciate it.”

Hugh Grant was caught taking a nap.

Hugh and Anna Grant were seated behind Queen Camilla in the royal box. Pictures: Getty

Djokovic became the second man in the Open era to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals aged 38 or older after Ken Rosewall, who made this stage aged 39 in 1974.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion also reached a record-extending 52nd major semi-final.

It takes him within two wins of breaking his tie with Margaret Court for the most Grand Slam singles titles for any player, man or woman.

Djokovic was pushed hard by the Italian 22nd seed but ultimately had too much for the 23-year-old, who had never previously been beyond the third round of a major.

Cobolli showed early intent, mixing up his play with drop shots and heavy groundstrokes from his flashing orange racquet and unsettling his illustrious opponent.

Djokovic, who has reached every Wimbledon final since 2018, served for the first set at 5-3 but the Italian broke back and won the ensuing tie-break.

But it was a different story in the second set as Djokovic broke twice to level the match in the evening sunshine.

The pair swapped service breaks early in the third set but Djokovic pounced again in the 11th game and thundered an ace as he took control of the match.

The fourth set was tight but Cobolli failed to put away a simple winner at the net in the ninth game.

Djokovic slipped and fell awkwardly when serving for the match, grimacing in pain, but got up to finish the job.

If he reaches and wins Sunday’s final he will equal Federer’s record of eight men’s titles at the All England Club.

Novak Djokovic of Serbia plays a forehand against Flavio Cobolli of Italy. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

Sinner in a sleeve just as strong

Earlier, Sinner eased pre-match injury fears to sweep past Ben Shelton in straight sets despite wearing a protective sleeve on his right arm during his 7-6 (7/2) 6-4 6-4 quarter-final victory against the 10th seed.

The 23-year-old, who hurt himself in the previous round against Grigor Dimitrov, battled through the discomfort to reach his second semi-final at the All England Club.

Sinner, who grimaced after returning one of Shelton’s serves in the second set, said after the match on Court One that he was on the mend.

“You know, when you are in a match with a lot of tension, you try to not think about it,” said the Italian when asked about his injury.

“It has improved a lot from yesterday to today. Yesterday, my day was very short on the practice court, 20 minutes with the coaches only.”

The top seed had sparked fears he may have to pull out of the tournament after falling early in his fourth-round tie against Dimitrov.

The Italian top seed was trailing by two sets and on the brink of a shock exit when the Bulgarian pulled a pectoral muscle while serving and had to retire.

Sinner, a three-time Grand Slam champion, slashed his training schedule on Tuesday and had a scan to determine the extent of his injury.

Italy's Jannik Sinner celebrates after winning against US player Ben Shelton. (Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP)

The world number one, who has never reached the Wimbledon final, is the first Italian man to reach the last four at the All England Club multiple times, following his previous semi-final appearance in 2023.

Beaten by Carlos Alcaraz in an epic French Open final in June, when he blew a two-set lead and squandered three championship points, Sinner had been revitalised in his first three matches at Wimbledon.

He dropped just 17 games to equal a 53-year-old record for the fewest games conceded en route to the Wimbledon men’s last 16.

Shelton had surpassed his father and coach Bryan, who reached the Wimbledon fourth round 31 years ago, but he was no match for Sinner, who is seeking to reach his fourth straight Grand Slam final.

The Italian ground his way through a gruelling first set lasting 52 minutes. Shelton was also in the wars and the 22-year-old needed his left ankle retaped late in the set.

Sinner broke in the 10th game of the second set to seize a two-set lead. The third set was a tight affair, going with serve until the 10th game, when Shelton faltered.

Sinner needed three match points but celebrated when the American went long.

Swiatek finally feeling at home on grass

Poland's Iga Swiatek celebrates after winning against Russia's Liudmila Samsonova. (Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP)

In the women’s tournament, Iga Swiatek and Belinda Bencic both sealed their first Wimbledon semi-final appearances with victories in the early quarter-final action.

Five-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek said she had “goosebumps” after her 6-2 7-5 win against Russian 19th seed Liudmila Samsonova.

The Polish eighth seed has won four titles on the clay at the French Open, as well as the US Open in 2022, but her previous best result at Wimbledon was a run to the quarter-finals in 2023.

“It feels great. Even though I’m in the middle of the tournament I’ve already got goosebumps after this win. I’m super happy and super proud of myself and I’ll keep going,” she said.

She faces Switzerland’s Bencic for a place in the final.

The former Olympic champion advanced to her maiden All England Club semi-final with a 7-6 (7/3) 7-6 (7/2) win against Russian seventh seed Mirra Andreeva.

The 28-year-old had a daughter, Bella, in April 2024, but has already risen back up to 35 in the world since returning from maternity leave.

“It’s crazy, it’s unbelievable. It’s a dream come true. I tried not to think about it at the match point. I’m just speechless,” Bencic said.

- with AFP