LONDON (AP) — Roger Federer was back at Wimbledon, and back at Centre Court, on Monday — only this time, he was there to watch some tennis, not play it, at a place he won a men's-record eight championships.
The now-retired Federer sat in the Royal Box for his former rival Novak Djokovic's 1-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Alex de Minaur in the fourth round at the All England Club.
Djokovic already surpassed Federer's total of 20 Grand Slam singles titles and has gotten to 24, the most by a man in tennis history. Now Djokovic is trying to equal Federer by winning an eighth trophy at the grass-court major tournament.
And, make no mistake, the 38-year-old Djokovic definitely noticed who was sitting in the front row Monday.
“Obviously, great to have Roger. A huge, huge champion and someone that I've admired and respected a lot,” Djokovic said. “We’ve shared the stage for so many years and it’s great to have him back in his most successful and his favorite tournament, no doubt.”
They played each other 50 times, with Djokovic leading the head-to-head by 27-23.
The two of them and Andy Murray recently gathered at the French Open and appeared at the ceremony honoring Rafael Nadal's career there.
Wearing a dark tie and a blue suit — pinned to a lapel was one of the round purple badges that champions receive to note their status as club members — Federer was greeted by a loud round of applause as he entered the box with his wife, Mirka.
Federer, who turns 44 on Aug. 8, waved to the 15,000 or so other spectators.
His won his first Wimbledon title — which was also his first Grand Slam title —- in 2003. His last Wimbledon trophy came in 2017. Two years after that, Federer returned to the final at the All England Club and even held two championship points but lost to Djokovic in a fifth-set tiebreaker.
What turned out to be the last match of Federer's professional career came at Wimbledon in 2021, when he lost in the quarterfinals to Hubert Hurkacz. It wasn't until more than a year later that Federer announced he was done competing.
He shows up every so often at tournaments and sits in the stands, observing.
“It's probably the first time he's watched me and I won the match. The last couple I lost,” Djokovic said. “So, good to break the curse.”
Associated Press writer Mattias Karén contributed to this report.
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Tennis legend Roger Federer and his wife Mirka arrive in the Royal Box on Centre Court on day eight of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Monday, July 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Tennis legend Roger Federer and his wife Mirka sit in the Royal Box on Centre Court on day eight of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Monday, July 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Tennis legend Roger Federer waves after Serbia's Novak Djokovic beat Australia's Alex de Minaur during a fourth round men's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Monday, July 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Uganda on Wednesday ordered the closure of its border with Congo, where suspected cases of a rare type of Ebola are surging, and as cases have been confirmed at home after Ugandan health workers were exposed to the disease from Congolese patients.
The measure, which goes against the guidance by the World Health Organization, underscores growing fears of contagion in East Africa from Bundibugyo, a rare type of the Ebola virus that is behind this outbreak and that has no approved medicines or vaccines.
Like Congo, Uganda has faced Ebola outbreaks in the past. A local Ugandan task force made the decision on the border closure. The Ugandan health workers were exposed to the virus by Congolese patients who had crossed the border before the outbreak was declared in eastern Congo on May 15.
Border crossings will be authorized only in emergency cases, including for the outbreak response, cargo or security reasons, Dr. Diana Atwine of the Ugandan Ministry of Health, told journalists. Anyone entering from Congo under emergency circumstances will be taken into mandatory isolation for 21 days.
Tracing and isolating Ebola contacts is seen as key to stopping the spread of the disease, which usually manifests as hemorrhagic fever. The virus is spread through close contact with sick or deceased patients’ bodily fluids. Experts say healthcare workers and family members caring for patients face the highest risk.
The number of suspected cases in eastern Congo is nearing 1,000, with at least 220 suspected deaths. Congo’s health ministry on Tuesday said 101 cases have been confirmed, and they are looking into over 3,000 possible contacts.
On Wednesday, Congolese authorities said that the first person who recovered from the Bundibugyo virus has been released home from a treatment center in Rwampara, one of the towns in eastern Congo at the heart of the outbreak.
WHO has discouraged border closures with Congo while acknowledging that neighboring countries are at high risk of contagion. The U.N. health agency has declared this outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.
Closures "push the movement of people and goods to informal border crossings that are not monitored, thus increasing the chances of the spread of disease," the agency said.
The Uganda-Congo border is several hundred miles long and crossed by numerous footpaths beyond formal border posts. Many people come and go in the course of a day to visit families or to trade.
Congolese health authorities are struggling to contain the outbreak, which WHO says is outpacing them. The rare type of Ebola was confirmed weeks late as tests were carried out for a more common type. Challenges also include the threat from armed groups in eastern Congo, a large number of displaced people and poor infrastructure.
WHO's Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called on Wednesday for a ceasefire in eastern Congo to allow safe access for responders and others, saying on social media that “attacks on health facilities make tracking cases and their contacts nearly impossible.”
Responders in Congo have said they are underprepared and under-protected for this outbreak, while conflict-traumatized residents, long wary of outsiders, have attacked a number of clinics and hurled stones and abuse at volunteers trying to make people aware of the virus and its risks.
Infected people or those have been in contact should not undertake international travel unless it’s a medical evacuation, WHO has said. On Wednesday, the Trump administration said it is planning to send Americans who are exposed to Ebola to a new facility in Kenya instead of flying them to the United States.
Uganda has reported seven cases of Ebola, including the first case of a 59-year-old man who died in Kampala, the country's capital, on May 14. While the Ebola case load is not spiking, the number of locals exposed to infection via health workers has been rising.
“They have families, and so the number has been increasing,” Atwine, the Ugandan health official, said of the health workers.
She also said she was dismayed to see some Ugandans forming crowds to celebrate Arsenal as British Premier League champions. The team has a large following in Uganda. Atwine urged people to be vigilant, avoid shaking hands and use sanitizer.
Congo has had 17 Ebola outbreaks. Health experts say aid cuts last year by the U.S. and other rich nations are devastating for eastern Congo, in part because of the region’s unique problems.
Aid groups fighting this outbreak say they don’t have the equipment they need, including face shields and suits to protect health workers from infection, testing kits and body bags needed to safely bury victims.
Associated Press writer Jean-Yves Kamale in Kinshasa, Congo, contributed to this report.
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Muslims gather to pray at Sayo Muhamed School during the Eid al-Adha celebration amid an Ebola outbreak in Bunia, Congo, Wednesday, May 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)
Muslims are reflected in a motorcycle mirror as they gather to pray at Sayo Muhamed School during the Eid al-Adha celebration amid an Ebola outbreak in Bunia, Congo, Wednesday, May 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)
A Muslim washes his hands as a precaution against Ebola before attending the Eid al-Adha prayers at Sayo Muhamed School in Bunia, Congo, Wednesday, May 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)
A Muslim woman walks towards the prayer grounds at Sayo Muhamed School to perform Eid al-Adha prayers amid an Ebola outbreak in Bunia, Congo, Wednesday, May 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)
