Kate Middleton given signed tennis shoes for Prince Louis at Wimbledon

He may not be old enough to hold a racket, but he's already got the shoes to help him look like a tennis star.

Prince Louis was gifted a signed pair of Adidas Stan Smith shoes by the 1972 Wimbledon champion himself.

Smith handed over one of the shoes to Louis's mother, the Duchess of Cambridge, with a sparkle in his eyes, as she took her seat in the royal box at Wimbledon.

He also gave Middleton a blue Adidas shoebox, which likely had the matching shoe inside.

The shoe handover took place during Kate's third visit to Wimbledon this year, this time to watch Novak Djokovic beat Roger Federer in the final.

The match made history - it was the longest ever men's singles final at Wimbledon and also the first time ever for a tiebreak at 12-12 in the iconic grand slam.

While Kate was likely thrilled to receive the gift from Smith, it's not the first time her children have found themselves linked to tennis royalty.

Though Louis can't hit a ball just yet, he could possibly follow in Prince George's footsteps.

George is already a fan of the sport: it was revealed Federer gave him a private tennis lesson earlier this month at Kate's parents' home in Bucklebury, Berkshire.

Federer said he showed some talent and had "good tennis technique".

According to Metro UK, when asked about Prince George after winning his second round match against Britain's Jay Clarke at Wimbledon, Federer explained: "At that stage, it's all about just touch the ball, it's already good.

"Same with my boys.

"I think I have a little advantage that I actually spent some time, you know, with him."

Tennis seems to be the sport of choice for the Cambridge children.

At just 2 years old, Princess Charlotte took up the sport, beginning lessons at an exclusive club.

This article was first published on the NZ Herald and is republished here with permission.