Wimbledon’s Ladies’ Championship final remains a coveted event, and this year was no exception. A-list celebrities, including Zendaya, Tom Cruise, Billie Jean King, and Maria Sharapova, were among the star-studded crowd captivated by Barbora Krejcikova’s thrilling three-set victory over Jasmine Paolini. Cruise’s passion for the sport is undeniable, and his presence at the All England Club only adds to the excitement of the event. On Saturday, Cruise was pictured extending a heartwarming gesture from the stands as he watched the Women’s final.

In the end, it wasn’t meant to be for Jasmine Paolini. The Italian tennis star came close yet again to winning her maiden Grand Slam title but suffered a heartbreaking defeat against Barbora Krejcikova in the summit clash. In a see-saw battle, Paolini went down fighting in three sets 6-2, 2-6, 6-4. This is Paolini’s second successive Grand Slam final defeat, after previously going down against Iga Swiatek in the French Open final earlier this year. As a result, emotions were sure to be on display after today’s match. However, despite the painful defeat, Paolini managed to hold back her tears during the presentation ceremony.

This led to a huge cheer from the crowd and Cruise, who was in attendance to witness the summit clash, also stood up and gave Paolini a round of applause. Tom, 62, is a familiar face at Wimbledon’s championship weekend, having also witnessed Ashleigh Barty’s 2021 win and Elena Rybakina’s upset triumph the following year. Mission: Impossible star, beamed from the Royal Box in a charcoal grey suit and shirt. It was a heartening scene to witness Cruise cheering on Paolini as she controlled her emotions beautifully.

The interviewer, clearly moved by Paolini’s composed demeanor, asked, “You’ve melted everyone’s hearts with your wonderful smile. I’m sure they’d love to hear you’ll be back..” To which Jasmine responded, “I hope so. Today I’m a bit sad. I try to keep smiling. I have to remember today is still a good day. I did the final of Wimbledon. I was looking at the tv as a kid watching the final.. cheering for Federer I have to say”. She further added, “Last two months have been really crazy for me. I want to thank my team and family and everybody up there. Without themIi wouldn’t be here. The crowd has been amazing these two weeks, I’ve received a lot of support. Just incredible to feel a lot from them.”

On the other hand, Barbora made a hilarious claim of her fresh Wimbledon glory. The 2021 French Open champion humorously doubted that her hometown residents would believe her Wimbledon victory. She exclaimed that it was the pinnacle of her tennis and personal life. Upon returning to Brno, Krejcikova reiterated her disbelief, suggesting that her Wimbledon triumph would be equally hard to fathom for her community. “I think nobody really believed it that I got to the final and no one is going to believe that I won Wimbledon.”

Tennis has undeniably surged in popularity, thanks in part to Luca Guadagnino’s film “Challengers” and Zendaya’s ardent support for the sport. The actress made a stylish statement in a Ralph Lauren menswear-inspired outfit, mirroring her intense focus on the match. Anya Taylor-Joy took a break from her busy “Furiosa” promotional schedule to enjoy the action, while tennis legend Billie Jean King, a Royal Box fixture, celebrated her 20th anniversary of Wimbledon attendance. 2004 champion Maria Sharapova got a different view of Centre Court on Ladies Championship Saturday as it has been 20 years since she clinched the title.

Interestingly, Paolini hadn’t won a Wimbledon main draw match before this tournament. As a result, she should be proud of her performance here, although she nearly missed out on her maiden Grand Slam win. Paolini has proved many critics wrong with her performances in the recent past. One such critic was Andy Roddick, who later regretted his decision to downplay Paolini.

Roddick regrets ‘horrible call’ of downplaying Paolini

Last month, Paolini was blanked by Iga Swiatek in the summit clash of the French Open. The Polish star dominated from start to end as she lost just 3 games in the entire match to win it 6-2, 6-1. However, Paolini had achieved one of her best runs at a major tournament, much to the surprise of Roddick, who didn’t give her much chance during her semifinal match against Mirra Andreeva. Later, Roddick felt bad about not believing in Paolini’s skills.

He said, “I picked Andreeva over Paolini and that was a horrible call apparently um I guess my only defense is we’re kind of still learning um what kind of games affect Andreeva negatively. I humbly say I completely underestimated Paolini in this tournament. Hell of a run to the finals and listen you’re always in with a chance right always.”

The Italian star would look to bounce back from the two heartbreaking Grand Slam final defeats. However, at 28, she still has a long way to go in her career and would look to go one step ahead and win a Grand Slam title one day.