Queen Elizabeth made an impression on Jarkko Nieminsen, even though they only met briefly at the Wimbledon tennis tournament 12 years ago.
Anu Karttunen,
Emma Jump
Former number one ace of Finnish tennis Jarkko Nieminen is among the rare group who had the honor of meeting the Queen of Great Britain Elizabeth during this lifetime. The queen impressed Niemin with her down-to-earth nature.
– He was very down-to-earth and friendly. Despite the fact that she was the queen, it was surprisingly easy for me to be there, Nieminen recalled the meeting.
The queen was 96 years old when she died. In Nieminen’s opinion, the departure of the long-time monarch was the end of a huge period, which he has also stopped to think about.
It has already been 12 years since Nieminen and Queen Elizabeth met, but over the years it has come up several times. Especially when Nieminen ended his racing career seven years ago, he was often asked about his best memories during his career. Meeting Queen Elizabeth was one of those memories.
Nieminen faced the Scot Andy Murray’s In the second round of the Wimbledon tennis tournament in 2010, and already on the day before the match, rumors began to circulate that the Queen might be attending.
Although Wimbledon’s royal court sees royalty almost every year, Queen Elizabeth had not visited the tennis shrine for 33 years. The event was rare for both the tournament organizers and the players, and it was reflected, among other things, in the tightened security measures.
Jarkko Niemis and Andy Murray were given instructions regarding protocol and etiquette so that the players knew what to do when they arrived on the field, where to stop and when and how to bow in the direction of the royal court.
– The instructions were not so complicated that the game routines would have been messed up. Everyone realizes that it was a unique event. The queen had rarely been there, so it was a funny coincidence that this happened to me.
Nieminen lost to Murray 3–6, 4–6, 2–6. After the match, the queen arranged an unexpected moment for the players, as she unexpectedly announced that she wanted to meet both Nieminen and Murray. Nieminen had enough time to react that he quickly changed into a dry shirt, but he didn’t have time to think about the situation with the Scottish player, for example.
– As far as I understand, his daily routine didn’t include meeting the queen either.
The players were instructed before entering the royal enclosure that according to etiquette, the queen always starts the conversations and asks the questions first. After the greetings, the queen started a conversation with Nieminen.
– He politely praised the game. After that, they spoke a few sentences about Finland, Finnish nature and how beautiful Finland is. The conversation with Murray naturally continued longer, because it was because of Murray that we got there.
Nieminen admits that the situation was at the same time absurd and an experience in all its finesse. Despite her dignity and position, the queen made an impression during the short meeting.
– The first sentences, the first impression and the person’s essence create a certain atmosphere. Somehow, he was able to break the ice pretty quickly with his down-to-earth nature.
In Nieminen’s opinion, the royals are especially suitable for the iconic Wimbledon tournament, as it is very different from all tennis tournaments. Everything exudes old traditions, which are also adhered to.
– When the season lasts throughout the year, then there is one such very unusual, traditional tournament, from which you can sense its history and dignity. It suits that there is a different kind of royalty than in some other countries or games.
The meeting with the queen left a strong and unique memory imprint on Niemisin, even though it was only a short encounter. Nieminen laughs that as a little boy he could not have imagined that playing tennis would lead him to such moments.
– Hitting a tennis ball led to me even meeting the queen, that’s absurd! In a positive sense, of course.
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Tennis ace Jarkko Nieminen has a unique memory of Wimbledon – Queen Elizabeth unexpectedly announced that she wanted to meet