Tennis star reveals he was given heartbreaking news of family death just moments after...

Tennis star reveals he was given heartbreaking news of family death just moments after Wimbledon win

Tennis player Neal Skupski was told his grandmother had died just moments after winning his opening-round doubles win at Wimbledon. Picture: Getty

By Flaminia Luck

Neal Skupski has revealed he was told his grandmother had died just moments after coming off court following his opening-round doubles win at Wimbledon.

Listen to this article Loading audio...

The 34-year-old Liverpudlian, who is a devoted Liverpool fan, had already been left shaken by the death of forward Diogo Jota in a car crash in Spain earlier on Thursday.

Skupski and partner Joe Salisbury had just battled past fellow Britons Jacob Fearnley and Charles Broom 6-3 3-6 6-3 when he was informed of his grandmother's death.

"I found out this morning that Jota had passed away, and then I just found out my nan has just passed today as well," he said.

"So yeah, it's been a very tough day.

"She was 98 - she was a fighter, she'd been a little bit ill for a while.

"We've known it was a matter of time for a few days now, but it was a bit tough to take once I found out when I came off court."

2025 French Open - Day Fourteen. Picture: Getty

Skupski described his grandmother Mary as the grandparent he was closest to growing up and said: "She would've wanted me to be here and she'd be proud of me for what happened today, fighting through.

"It was just a bit tough to take when I found out when we got off court."

He had earlier spoken about how difficult it was to concentrate after reading about Jota's death on social media.

Read more: Jack Draper's Wimbledon dream ends in defeat to Marin Cilic

Read more: Major motorway closed in both directions and 'unsafe to use' after power failure

He said: "You never think your heroes or sportsmen you look up to - you think they're invincible, but it just shows that everyone's human.

"It's really tough to take."

Jota, 28, and his brother Andre Silva were killed in a car crash while driving to catch a ferry to England.

Breaking news: Diogo Jota dies in car crash aged 28

Skupski, who met the striker during a visit to Liverpool FC's training base, described him as "not just an amazing footballer, but an incredible person - so down to earth - someone who kept the dressing room running smoothly".

Skupski said he had considered wearing a black armband during the match but chose not to. "Maybe in the next couple of days," he added.

Salisbury paid tribute to his teammate, saying: "Neil's done a great job - most people wouldn't really know.

"Once you step on court, you try and focus, but this really puts things in perspective."

Skupski said that playing helped him cope, adding: "Walking on to the tennis court is only going to help me - there's more to life than missing tennis shots."

Click here to read article