He came, he saw, but Russell Crowe failed to conquer his favourite seats at the Wimbledon men's final yesterday.

The fiery Gladiator actor was attempting to secure a better view of the tennis, but he met his match in one of the tournament's Royal Navy security guards.

Thou shalt not pass: Crowe's attempts to switch Centre Court seats are thwarted by the Royal Navy security guard

The guard made his point politely but firmly and Crowe eventually settled down somewhat sulkily to watch Roger Federer become the first player to win 15 grand slams, in an epic fight against Andy Roddick.

Crowe, 45, has been involved in a number of rows over the years — the most memorable being the incident where he threw a telephone at a hotel worker in 2005.

No stranger to a row: Crowe memorably threw a telephone at a hotel worker in 2005

Meanwhile, Federer today said his Wimbledon win over Roddick had been so tense he feared his pregnant wife Mirka would go into labour. Mrs Federer was in the court-side box to see her Swiss husband notch up his record grand slam and reclaim the world No 1 spot.

The couple were more relaxed later at the Champions' Dinner at the Intercontinental Hotel in Hyde Park. Mrs Federer, due to give birth to their first child before the end of next month, stayed for more than an hour wearing a pink cardigan and dark blue dress. Her husband ignored the black tie dress code and turned up in a dark suit and tie.

Federer, who beat No 6 seed Roddick 5-7, 7-6, 7-6, 3-6, 16-14, including the longest men's final set, said: “This is very special because of the situation with Mirka.”

Women's champion Serena Williams was also at the dinner and the two victors collected replicas of their trophies.