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Tennis · Interesting Facts

Chapter 6: Quirky Trivia

10 parts · 10 tests · 100 facts · updated 15 October 2026 · markdown

Tennis's odd side: famous outbursts, a wildcard champion, a singer in the rain, the words of the game, a court in the sky and matches that ran for days.

6.61Famous Moments

McEnroe's outburst, a wildcard champion, a pop star singing in the rain and the first People's Sunday.

Test 1Outbursts, upsets and rainTake a test

  1. He disputed a call confirmed by umpire Edward James, was docked a point and fined $1,500.

    Source: ESPN Page 2, 'You cannot be serious' at 30 (2011); International Tennis Hall of Fame, John McEnroe · recall

  2. It was the first of his three Wimbledon singles titles.

    Source: ESPN Page 2, 'You cannot be serious' at 30 (2011); International Tennis Hall of Fame, John McEnroe · recall

  3. He is the only man to win Wimbledon as a wildcard; he had lost three earlier finals there.

    Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame, Goran Ivanisevic; Tennis Majors, 'The day Goran Ivanisevic finally won Wimbledon' · recall

  4. Tickets were sold on the day, so fans without seats filled Centre Court to see Ivanisevic beat Pat Rafter 9-7 in the fifth set.

    Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame, Goran Ivanisevic; Tennis Majors, 'The day Goran Ivanisevic finally won Wimbledon' · recall

  5. He went on to sing several more of his hits, joined by players including Martina Navratilova and Virginia Wade.

    Source: NationalWorld, 'When Sir Cliff Richard saved Wimbledon by singing Summer Holiday on Centre Court' · recall

  6. Unreserved tickets were sold at the gate, and the day became known as 'People's Sunday'; it happened again in 1997 and 2004.

    Source: Tennis Majors, 'The day Wimbledon opened its doors on Middle Sunday for the first time' (30 June 1991) · recall

  7. Officials asked him to keep the crowd entertained; before the 2009 roof, rain often stopped play for hours.

    Source: NationalWorld, 'When Sir Cliff Richard saved Wimbledon by singing Summer Holiday on Centre Court' · recall

  8. 1981, 1991, 1996 and 2001.

    Source: ESPN; Tennis Majors; NationalWorld; Hall of Fame · recall

  9. 1992, 1994, 1998 and 2001.

    Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame, Goran Ivanisevic; Tennis Majors, 'The day Goran Ivanisevic finally won Wimbledon' · recall

  10. Martina Navratilova, Pam Shriver, Gigi Fernandez and Virginia Wade joined in.

    Source: NationalWorld, 'When Sir Cliff Richard saved Wimbledon by singing Summer Holiday on Centre Court' · recall

6.62Words and Customs

Where 'Grand Slam', 'bagel' and 'tennis elbow' came from, and how Wimbledon names its women champions.

Test 1The game's words and old customsTake a test

  1. In bridge a grand slam means winning every trick; New York Times writer John Kieran applied it to tennis in 1933.

    Source: Australian Open, 'Grand Slam Board' (ausopen.com); Topend Sports, 'Tennis Grand Slam history' · recall

  2. Crawford won the first three but lost the US final to Fred Perry; Don Budge completed the first Grand Slam in 1938.

    Source: Australian Open, 'Grand Slam Board' (ausopen.com); Topend Sports, 'Tennis Grand Slam history' · recall

  3. The zero looks like a bagel; a 6-1 set is a 'breadstick'.

    Source: Sky Sports, 'Know your bagel from your moonball? Tennis terminology' (2020); Western Racquet · recall

  4. Dibbs and his doubles partner Harold Solomon became 'the Bagel Twins'; the commentator Bud Collins spread the word.

    Source: Sky Sports, 'Know your bagel from your moonball? Tennis terminology' (2020); Western Racquet · recall

  5. H. P. Major's letter described 'lawn-tennis elbow'; similar pain had been described in writers in 1873.

    Source: Thurston, 'The early history of tennis elbow: 1873 to the 1950s', ANZ Journal of Surgery (1998) · recall

  6. Chris Evert's 1981 title, won while married to John Lloyd, read 'Mrs. J. M. Lloyd'; all champions are now listed by initial and surname.

    Source: AP via CBC Sports, ''Miss,' 'Mrs.' dropped from Wimbledon champion honour board' (2022); NBC Sports · recall

  7. Before then umpires said 'Miss' before a woman's surname, and from 2018 'Mrs.' for married players.

    Source: AP via CBC Sports, ''Miss,' 'Mrs.' dropped from Wimbledon champion honour board' (2022); NBC Sports · recall

  8. 1883, 1933, 2019 and 2022.

    Source: ANZ Journal of Surgery; Australian Open; CBC (AP) · recall

  9. 6-0, 6-1, 6-4 and 7-6.

    Source: Sky Sports, 'Know your bagel from your moonball? Tennis terminology' (2020); Western Racquet · recall

  10. Her other two Wimbledon titles appeared under 'C. M. Evert'; all three now read 'C. M. Evert'.

    Source: AP via CBC Sports, ''Miss,' 'Mrs.' dropped from Wimbledon champion honour board' (2022); NBC Sports · recall

6.63Odd Matches

A 112-game marathon, a court on a helipad, a default in New York and the semi-final that changed Wimbledon's rules.

Test 1Matches nobody forgotTake a test

  1. Gonzales won 22-24, 1-6, 16-14, 6-3, 11-9 over two days; the record lasted until Isner and Mahut in 2010.

    Source: ESPN Classic, 'Gonzales survives Wimbledon's longest match'; International Tennis Hall of Fame, Pancho Gonzales · recall

  2. He saved seven match points against Pasarell, who was 25.

    Source: ESPN Classic, 'Gonzales survives Wimbledon's longest match'; International Tennis Hall of Fame, Pancho Gonzales · recall

  3. The court sat on the Burj Al Arab's helipad, about 200 metres up; strong wind put it off for a day.

    Source: ATP Tour, 'ATP 50: Andre Agassi, Roger Federer and the Dubai heliport court'; Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships · recall

  4. The tournament director said it cost less than $25,000 to stage.

    Source: ATP Tour, 'ATP 50: Andre Agassi, Roger Federer and the Dubai heliport court'; Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships · recall

  5. Trailing Pablo Carreno Busta 6-5, he struck a ball behind him that hit a line judge in the throat; he lost his prize money and points.

    Source: ESPN, 'Novak Djokovic out of US Open after hitting line judge with ball' (2020); Olympics.com · recall

  6. Anderson won the fifth set 26-24 and then lost the final to Novak Djokovic.

    Source: ESPN, 'Isner backs Wimbledon tiebreak rule change' (2018) · recall

  7. The rule ran from 2019 until 2022, when all four majors agreed a 10-point tiebreak at 6-6.

    Source: ESPN, 'Isner backs Wimbledon tiebreak rule change' (2018) · recall

  8. 1969, 2005, 2018 and 2020.

    Source: ESPN Classic; ATP Tour; ESPN · recall

  9. 5 hours 12 minutes, 6 hours 36 minutes and 11 hours 5 minutes.

    Source: ESPN Classic, 'Gonzales survives Wimbledon's longest match'; Internati; ESPN, 'Isner backs Wimbledon tiebreak rule change' (2018) · recall

  10. The court was laid on the hotel's helipad in Dubai; Federer and Agassi hit for the cameras and the crowds watching below.

    Source: ATP Tour, 'ATP 50: Andre Agassi, Roger Federer and the Dubai heliport court'; Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships · recall

6.64Nicknames

Pistol Pete, the Rocket, Muscles, Little Mo and others, and where the names came from.

Test 1What the greats were calledTake a test

  1. The name came from his fast, accurate serve.

    Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com), Pete Sampras · recall

  2. Hopman meant it as a joke, as young Laver was slow; later it fitted.

    Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com), Rod Laver · recall

  3. Rosewall was quick and precise rather than powerful.

    Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com), Ken Rosewall · recall

  4. Her inside-out forehand was one of the great weapons in the game.

    Source: WTA (wtatennis.com); International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com), Steffi Graf · recall

  5. He won Wimbledon at 17 serving at full power.

    Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com); International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com), Boris Becker · recall

  6. His cool manner was the opposite of his rival McEnroe's.

    Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com), Bjorn Borg · recall

  7. His coach Darren Cahill gave him the name of the son, Rusty Griswold.

    Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com), Lleyton Hewitt · recall

  8. 1934, 1934, 1938, 1967 and 1971.

    Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com) · recall

  9. Laver 1961, Borg 1976, Becker 1985, Graf 1988 and Sampras 1993.

    Source: Wimbledon.com · recall

  10. The USS Missouri was 'Big Mo'; the 1953 Grand Slam winner was 'Little Mo'.

    Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com), Maureen Connolly · recall

6.65Ball Kids

The young crews of Wimbledon and the US Open: who they are, where they come from and how they work.

Test 1Behind the playersTake a test

  1. Today boys and girls work side by side on every court.

    Source: Wimbledon.com, 'Ball boys and girls' · recall

  2. Earlier ball boys had come from the Shaftesbury Homes.

    Source: Wimbledon.com, 'Ball boys and girls' · recall

  3. They move only when the point is over, so as not to distract the players.

    Source: Wimbledon.com, 'Ball boys and girls' · recall

  4. Most are 14 or 15 and serve one or two Championships.

    Source: Wimbledon.com, 'Ball boys and girls' · recall

  5. Schools in the boroughs around the club send pupils to try out.

    Source: Wimbledon.com, 'Ball boys and girls' · recall

  6. Anyone over a minimum age can try out, and some have worked there for decades.

    Source: US Open official site (usopen.org), 'Ball crew' · recall

  7. Players now fetch their own towels from racks or boxes.

    Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com); Wimbledon.com · recall

  8. From the 1920s, from 1946, and from 1977.

    Source: Wimbledon.com, 'Ball boys and girls' · recall

  9. Balls are rolled along the ground, never thrown across the court.

    Source: Wimbledon.com, 'Ball boys and girls' · recall

  10. Two crouch at the net and four stand at the corners.

    Source: Wimbledon.com, 'Ball boys and girls' · recall

6.66Trophy Tales

A pineapple on the lid, a world champion's inscription, replicas for winners and plates for runners-up.

Test 1What the winners holdTake a test

  1. The full line names the All England Lawn Tennis Club.

    Source: Wimbledon.com, 'The trophies' · recall

  2. The silver-gilt cup was made ten years after the first Championships.

    Source: Wimbledon.com, 'The trophies' · recall

  3. The originals stay at the club; champions get copies about three-quarters of the size.

    Source: Wimbledon.com, 'The trophies' · recall

  4. The ladies' runner-up also receives a plate.

    Source: Wimbledon.com, 'The trophies' · recall

  5. The singles trophies are made in sterling silver.

    Source: US Open official site (usopen.org), 'The trophies' · recall

  6. It is the Coupe Suzanne-Lenglen.

    Source: Roland-Garros official site (rolandgarros.com) · recall

  7. The Super Bowl winners receive it each February.

    Source: Tiffany & Co., sports trophies (tiffany.com) · recall

  8. The runner-up receives a plate first, then the champion the trophy.

    Source: Wimbledon.com · recall

  9. 1887, 1899 and 2017.

    Source: Wimbledon.com; daviscup.com; lavercup.com · recall

  10. Its origin is not recorded; pineapples were once a symbol of luxury and welcome.

    Source: Wimbledon.com, 'The trophies' · recall

6.67Interrupted!

Bees, smoke, heat, drones and protesters: the strangest reasons play has stopped.

Test 1When play stoppedTake a test

  1. Play stopped for nearly two hours while the swarm on a camera was cleared.

    Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com) news (2023) · recall

  2. She retired from her qualifying match.

    Source: Australian Open official site (ausopen.com); ABC News (abc.net.au) · recall

  3. Play stopped for almost an hour.

    Source: US Open official site (usopen.org); AP (2023) · recall

  4. Ground staff swept the court and play went on.

    Source: Wimbledon.com; BBC Sport (2023) · recall

  5. A teacher was arrested for flying it over the grounds; nobody was hurt.

    Source: US Open official site (usopen.org); AP (2015) · recall

  6. He called the conditions inhumane; temperatures passed 40°C.

    Source: Australian Open official site (ausopen.com); BBC Sport (2014) · recall

  7. The players laughed; Richard Krajicek then beat MaliVai Washington.

    Source: Wimbledon.com · recall

  8. 1996, 2014, 2015, 2020 and 2023.

    Source: Wimbledon.com; Australian Open official site (ausopen.com); US Open official site (usopen.org); ATP Tour (atptour.com) · recall

  9. March, July and September.

    Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com); Wimbledon.com; US Open official site (usopen.org) · recall

  10. He was cheered by the crowd and became a minor celebrity.

    Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com) news (2023) · recall

6.68Rituals and Superstitions

Bottles in a row, lines never touched, an unshaved fortnight and the Teletubbies every morning.

Test 1Habits of championsTake a test

  1. He steps over the lines on his way to the chair.

    Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com), Rafael Nadal · recall

  2. His 'Wimbledon beard' grew through each fortnight.

    Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com), Bjorn Borg · recall

  3. He tried to repeat everything from the day before, as long as he kept winning.

    Source: Wimbledon.com; BBC Sport (2001) · recall

  4. She also bounced the ball the same number of times before each serve.

    Source: WTA (wtatennis.com), Serena Williams · recall

  5. Long bouncing runs have drawn the umpire's warning more than once.

    Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com), Novak Djokovic · recall

  6. She hopped and shadow-swung to stay sharp before every return.

    Source: WTA (wtatennis.com); Wimbledon.com · recall

  7. The same quick sequence came before almost every point of his career.

    Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com), Rafael Nadal · recall

  8. 1976, 2001, 2002, 2008 and 2013.

    Source: Wimbledon.com · recall

  9. 1956, 1971, 1981, 1986 and 1987.

    Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com); WTA (wtatennis.com) · recall

  10. If a bottle was moved, he set it back in place before play.

    Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com), Rafael Nadal · recall

6.69Tennis Families

Sisters in major finals, brothers with Wimbledon titles, a mother who coached and a family split between tennis and golf.

Test 1It runs in the familyTake a test

  1. Venus won it, under the lights in New York.

    Source: WTA (wtatennis.com); US Open official site (usopen.org) · recall

  2. Serena took No. 1 that summer, with Venus just behind.

    Source: WTA (wtatennis.com), rankings history · recall

  3. His partners were Jelena Jankovic and Martina Hingis.

    Source: Wimbledon.com, champions · recall

  4. Judy Murray later captained Britain's Fed Cup team.

    Source: LTA (lta.org.uk); ATP Tour (atptour.com) · recall

  5. Manuela, Katerina and Magdalena were coached by their mother, Yuliya Berberyan.

    Source: WTA (wtatennis.com); International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com) · recall

  6. Karolina, the right-hander, reached world No. 1 in 2017.

    Source: WTA (wtatennis.com), Pliskova sisters · recall

  7. Nelly won Olympic gold in 2021; their brother Sebastian plays tennis on the ATP Tour.

    Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com), Petr Korda; LPGA (lpga.com) · recall

  8. 1998, 2001, 2007 and 2021.

    Source: WTA (wtatennis.com); Wimbledon.com; LPGA · recall

  9. 1967, 1980, 1986 and 1992.

    Source: WTA (wtatennis.com); ATP Tour (atptour.com) · recall

  10. Venus won two: the 2001 US Open and Wimbledon 2008.

    Source: WTA (wtatennis.com), head-to-head · recall

6.70Left-Handers

The lefties of tennis, from Norman Brookes to Rafael Nadal, and a champion who also won an Olympic medal on ice.

Test 1Playing with the leftTake a test

  1. The Australian was also the first champion from overseas.

    Source: Wimbledon.com; International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com), Norman Brookes · recall

  2. Her two-handed strokes on both sides were very rare at the top of the game.

    Source: WTA (wtatennis.com); International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com), Monica Seles · recall

  3. Borg, McEnroe's other great rival, was right-handed.

    Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com) · recall

  4. His left forearm was famously much bigger than his right.

    Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com), Rod Laver · recall

  5. It was the first of her three major titles.

    Source: WTA (wtatennis.com), Angelique Kerber · recall

  6. He won silver with Czechoslovakia at the 1948 Winter Olympics.

    Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com), Jaroslav Drobny; Olympedia · recall

  7. His wide left-handed serve was one of the most feared shots of the 1990s.

    Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com), Goran Ivanisevic · recall

  8. 1907, 1960, 1974, 1990 and 2005.

    Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com); ATP Tour (atptour.com) · recall

  9. One, two, three, four and nine.

    Source: Wimbledon.com · recall

  10. He is right-handed off court; he grew up hitting with his left.

    Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com), Rafael Nadal · recall

Sources

Primary/official sources only, no Wikipedia citations: ESPN, the International Tennis Hall of Fame, the ATP, the Australian Open, Sky Sports, AP, Tennis Majors, the ANZ Journal of Surgery. The all-white rule, the middle Sunday from 2022, the tiebreak's invention and the Isner-Mahut record are asked elsewhere and left out; the 'a deux' story of deuce is left out because dictionaries do not support it.

  • Wimbledon.com, 'Ball boys and girls'8
  • Wimbledon.com5
  • Wimbledon.com, 'The trophies'5
  • ATP Tour (atptour.com), Rafael Nadal4
  • International Tennis Hall of Fame, Goran Ivanisevic; Tennis Majors, 'The day Goran Ivanisevic finally won Wimbledon'3
  • NationalWorld, 'When Sir Cliff Richard saved Wimbledon by singing Summer Holiday on Centre Court'3
  • Sky Sports, 'Know your bagel from your moonball? Tennis terminology' (2020); Western Racquet3
  • AP via CBC Sports, ''Miss,' 'Mrs.' dropped from Wimbledon champion honour board' (2022); NBC Sports3
  • ATP Tour, 'ATP 50: Andre Agassi, Roger Federer and the Dubai heliport court'; Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships3
  • ESPN Page 2, 'You cannot be serious' at 30 (2011); International Tennis Hall of Fame, John McEnroe2
  • Australian Open, 'Grand Slam Board' (ausopen.com); Topend Sports, 'Tennis Grand Slam history'2
  • ESPN Classic, 'Gonzales survives Wimbledon's longest match'; International Tennis Hall of Fame, Pancho Gonzales2
  • ESPN, 'Isner backs Wimbledon tiebreak rule change' (2018)2
  • International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com), Rod Laver2
  • International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com), Bjorn Borg2
  • International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com)2
  • ATP Tour (atptour.com) news (2023)2
  • Tennis Majors, 'The day Wimbledon opened its doors on Middle Sunday for the first time' (30 June 1991)1
  • ESPN; Tennis Majors; NationalWorld; Hall of Fame1
  • Thurston, 'The early history of tennis elbow: 1873 to the 1950s', ANZ Journal of Surgery (1998)1
  • ANZ Journal of Surgery; Australian Open; CBC (AP)1
  • ESPN, 'Novak Djokovic out of US Open after hitting line judge with ball' (2020); Olympics.com1
  • ESPN Classic; ATP Tour; ESPN1
  • ESPN Classic, 'Gonzales survives Wimbledon's longest match'; Internati; ESPN, 'Isner backs Wimbledon tiebreak rule change' (2018)1
  • ATP Tour (atptour.com), Pete Sampras1
  • International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com), Ken Rosewall1
  • WTA (wtatennis.com); International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com), Steffi Graf1
  • ATP Tour (atptour.com); International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com), Boris Becker1
  • ATP Tour (atptour.com), Lleyton Hewitt1
  • International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com), Maureen Connolly1
  • US Open official site (usopen.org), 'Ball crew'1
  • ATP Tour (atptour.com); Wimbledon.com1
  • US Open official site (usopen.org), 'The trophies'1
  • Roland-Garros official site (rolandgarros.com)1
  • Tiffany & Co., sports trophies (tiffany.com)1
  • Wimbledon.com; daviscup.com; lavercup.com1
  • Australian Open official site (ausopen.com); ABC News (abc.net.au)1
  • US Open official site (usopen.org); AP (2023)1
  • Wimbledon.com; BBC Sport (2023)1
  • US Open official site (usopen.org); AP (2015)1
  • Australian Open official site (ausopen.com); BBC Sport (2014)1
  • Wimbledon.com; Australian Open official site (ausopen.com); US Open official site (usopen.org); ATP Tour (atptour.com)1
  • ATP Tour (atptour.com); Wimbledon.com; US Open official site (usopen.org)1
  • Wimbledon.com; BBC Sport (2001)1
  • WTA (wtatennis.com), Serena Williams1
  • ATP Tour (atptour.com), Novak Djokovic1
  • WTA (wtatennis.com); Wimbledon.com1
  • ATP Tour (atptour.com); WTA (wtatennis.com)1
  • WTA (wtatennis.com); US Open official site (usopen.org)1
  • WTA (wtatennis.com), rankings history1
  • Wimbledon.com, champions1
  • LTA (lta.org.uk); ATP Tour (atptour.com)1
  • WTA (wtatennis.com); International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com)1
  • WTA (wtatennis.com), Pliskova sisters1
  • ATP Tour (atptour.com), Petr Korda; LPGA (lpga.com)1
  • WTA (wtatennis.com); Wimbledon.com; LPGA1
  • WTA (wtatennis.com); ATP Tour (atptour.com)1
  • WTA (wtatennis.com), head-to-head1
  • Wimbledon.com; International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com), Norman Brookes1
  • WTA (wtatennis.com); International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com), Monica Seles1
  • WTA (wtatennis.com), Angelique Kerber1
  • International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com), Jaroslav Drobny; Olympedia1
  • ATP Tour (atptour.com), Goran Ivanisevic1
  • International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com); ATP Tour (atptour.com)1