Former Prisoner Who Saw Tennis for Hope Gets Invited to Wimbledon by Andy Murray

Zaghari-Ratcliffe spent 6 years in a prison in Iran, where she watched Andy Murray lift his first Wimbledon title.

Zaghari Ratcliffe watches Andy Murray play from the royal box

photo: Wimbledon

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian national, appeared at the Centre Court to watch Andy Murray his first round at Wimbledon Championships 2023. She was invited by Murray himself to watch the match from the royal box on Tuesday, 4 July.

Zaghari-Ratcliffe spent six years in prison in Iran owing to charges of spying, before being released last year. During her time in prison, Andy Murray’s Wimbledon victory in 2016 helped her not lose hope.

To make her dream of watching the American live in action, Murray invited Zaghari-Ratcliffe to the All England Club for his first match of the Grand Slam. She sat behind the Princess of Wales, Catherine Elizabeth Middleton, and the eight-time Wimbledon champion, Roger Federer, in the royal box. 

"I wanted to invite her to come along and watch the tennis in totally different circumstances," Murray said. He added, "I'm glad she could make it." 

In prison, Zaghari-Ratcliffe spent her time in solitary confinement but was given access to a television in 2016 with two channels. While one channel showed Iranian soaps, the other one showed Wimbledon tennis matches. This is when she watched Andy Murray lift his first Wimbledon title.