Wimbledon is back for 2025, but it’s a 99-year-old legend in the Royal Box - Sir David Attenborough - who served up one of the tournament’s most surprising stories. The broadcasting icon, who returned to Centre Court on Monday (July 2) alongside David Beckham, played a key role in changing the sport forever by helping to turn tennis balls from white to yellow.

It all started in the 1960s, when colour television was on the rise and Attenborough, then a young BBC executive, was looking for the perfect programme to showcase the new technology. He chose Wimbledon. “It is a wonderful plot,” Attenborough said. “You’ve got drama, you’ve got everything. And, it’s a national event.”

In 1967, he sent four colour broadcast cameras to the tournament while working for BBC Two, with the aim of making it the first channel in Europe to air sport in colour. But there was a problem: the traditional white tennis balls were almost invisible against the green grass on the screen.

After the tournament, Attenborough suggested switching to a fluorescent ball to improve visibility for viewers. The International Tennis Federation (ITF) conducted research and confirmed that fluorescent yellow was the most visible on both colour and black-and-white TVs.

The change was made official in 1972, with the ITF introducing yellow tennis balls into the sport’s rulebook, saying the switch was made “as research had shown these balls to be more visible to television viewers".

Yellow balls were first used at the U.S. Open in 1973 and soon rolled out across most tournaments - except for Wimbledon, which stubbornly stuck with white balls until 1986.

The Wimbledon Compendium that year stated: “Yellow balls were used for the first time, largely as the white balls were getting stained green on the grass, sometimes making them almost impossible to see on TV, where tennis was increasingly popular.”

This week, Wimbledon’s official Instagram page resurfaced the story in a short video reminding fans of Attenborough’s unique contribution to the sport - one that changed how millions watch tennis today.

Fans were quick to praise the British icon for his ingenuity. “Once again!!! brilliant!! Thanks, Sir David Attenborough,” gushed one fan. Another echoed: “The world will not be able to replace Sir David.”

Now a near-century old, the naturalist was back in the Royal Box as play began at the All England Club, just as speculation swirled that this could be Andy Murray’s final Wimbledon appearance. Murray, 38, is playing doubles with his brother Jamie but won’t compete in singles.

Meanwhile, Emma Raducanu, who returned to Centre Court with a win over Renata Zarazua, said she’s playing with no expectations and described her gritty performance as “winning ugly—like England’s 2-1 win over Slovakia” at Euro 2024.