Mike Tindall makes first public appearance since death of his father Phil, 80, as he and wife Zara join close friend Roger Federer for his annual Laver Cup

Mike Tindall made his first public outing since the death of his beloved father over the weekend - as he stepped out with his wife Zara for the annual Laver Cup. The former England rugby star, 47, attended the first day of the annual men's tennis tournament at London's 02 Arena with his wife Zara, 45, on September 25 where he met with close friend and co-founder of the event, Roger Federer. It comes after Mike revealed last week that his father Phil had died at the age of 80 after a 'brutal' two-decade long battle with Parkinson's disease. 'Unfortunately, my dad passed away last week,' he said on his The Good, The Bad & The Rugby podcast on September 23. Mike went on to thank Otley Rugby Club in West Yorkshire after players marked Phil's death with a special tribute. 'Big shout-out to Otley Rugby Club. They played Chester on the weekend, and they did a minute's silence to my dad, who was captain in '72, '73,' he said. Now, Mike has sought to keep his father's love for sport alive as he took his seat for the tennis action - and was pictured alongside players Learner Tien, Francisco Cerundolo and Casper Ruud. Mike, who wed the daughter of Princess Anne in 2011, looked dapper in a black suit jacket and white trousers, while Zara appeared effortlessly elegant in a Veronica Beard Battista Dickey Blazer in Navy Pinstripe. Mike Tindall made his first public outing since the death of his beloved father over the weekend - as he stepped out with his wife Zara for the annual Laver Cup (pictured with close friend and co-founder of the event, Roger Federer) Mike, who wed the daughter of Princess Anne in 2011, has sought to keep his father's love for sport alive as he arrived to witness the tennis action - and was pictured alongside players Learner Tien, Francisco Cerundolo and Casper Ruud Zara and Mike, who both share a passion for sports, appeared engrossed as they watched from the stands as the tennis action got underway for the first day of the three-day eventShe paired the striking jacket with a pair of Veronica Beard Heyser High-Waist Trousers and a gorgeous light blue blouse from L'Agence. To finish off the look, Zara opted for Dower and Hall's Wide Waterfall Huggie Hoop earrings and Aspinal of London's Lottie Bag in the shade navy.The royal couple were seen in conversation with Roger Federer following the men's singles group stage match between Team Europe's Rafael Jodar and Team World's Alexander Bublik. Zara and Mike, who both share a passion for sports, appeared engrossed as they watched from the stands as the tennis action got underway for the first day of the three-day event. Co-founded by Roger Federer in 2017, the Laver Cup was inspired by golf's Ryder Cup and sees six of the best men's tennis players from Europe play against six of their counterparts from across the globe.The event came after a challenging week for Mike, who is mourning the loss of his beloved father Phil, a talented rugby player who had strong links to Otley, the Yorkshire town where his son Mike was born.He made his first-team debut aged just 17 during the 1963-64 season, playing at fly-half and centre, before captaining the side in 1972-73.During the emotional podcast episode, Mike also shared a memory from his father's younger years, revealing that Phil suffered a badly timed injury shortly before marrying his mother Linda. It comes after Mike (pictured with his parents Phil and Linda in August 2009) revealed last week that his father Phil had died at the age of 80 after a 'brutal' two-decade long battle with Parkinson's disease Princess Anne and Phil Tindall are seen at the wedding of Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall in July 2011. Phil had lived with Parkinson's for more than two decades after being diagnosed in 2003 – the same year his son helped England win the Rugby World CupHe said: 'He got married in '69, broke his leg the week before, went down the aisle in a cast. I mean, it sort of all went wrong. He had to retire at 27.'Phil had lived with Parkinson's for more than two decades after being diagnosed in 2003 – the same year his son helped England win the Rugby World Cup.The illness became a major cause for Mike, who has been a patron of Cure Parkinson's since 2018 and has repeatedly raised money and awareness for research into the condition.Only four months ago, Mike gave a bleak update on his father's health, saying Parkinson's had taken a devastating toll.'My dad is not doing great at the moment,' he said in May. 'Parkinson's is brutal and there is no let-up from how it attacks the body and changes people.'He said that after more than 23 years with the condition, Phil had been left 'a shell of what he once was'.Mike's mother Linda, a former social worker, had taken on much of Phil's care as his condition had began to worsen. In 2021, during a conversation with thh Duchess of Gloucester, Mike revealed that the decline in his father's health had become particularly marked around the time of his 2011 wedding to Zara, when Phil needed a wheelchair for parts of the day.Mike explained problems caused by the condition had affected his father's spine and discs and had made moving around increasingly difficult.Indicative of his commitment to fundraising for the disease, Mike was back out raising money for Cure Parkinson's via his annual ISPS Handa Mike Tindall Celebrity Golf Classic event in May. Mike's annual event also supports the sporting-injury charity The Matt Hampson Foundation – named after professional rugby player Hampson, 41, who is paralysed from the neck down after a rugby accident at the age of 20.