Wimbledon’s most shocking moments… lightning strike to ‘world’s sexiest player’s’ outfit row & pop legend’s surprise gig
THERE’S nothing more frustrating at Wimbledon than when rain stops play – but sometimes it’s not just the weather that causes chaos.
The Championships, which date back to 1877 and are steeped in tradition, has seen its share of scandalous moments over the years.
Despite heightened security, this week demonstrators from Just Stop Oil disrupted matches when they ran onto the courts throwing orange confetti they’d hidden inside a Wimbledon jigsaw box.
Two protestors targeted the clash between Grigor Dimitrov and Sho Shimabukuro, while a third interrupted Katie Boulter‘s match against Daria Saville.
Here, we relive some of the tournament’s most shocking moments -from a lightning strike on Centre Court to Jeff Tarango’s infamous outburst.
Impromptu concert
Sir Cliff Richard, 82, is no stranger to giving rousing concerts throughout his 65-year career.
But in 1996 he stunned Wimbledon spectators by giving them a show to remember.
Due to bad weather, the action on Centre Court had been severely delayed, with fans looking visibly bored.
Sir Cliff came to the rescue when he grabbed a mic and began belting out acapella versions of his hits, including Bachelor Boy and The Young Ones.
During the near-20 minute performance, he said: “This has to be the most unusual experience of my career. I never thought that I’d actually play Centre Court.”
Kyrgios rant
Australian Nick Kyrgios, 28, is one of the most controversial players of the modern era.
And this was put on full display during the men’s final last year when he demanded a female spectator be ejected from Centre Court because she was “drunk“.
He complained to the umpire during his clash against Novak Djokovic, claiming she had been talking to him during points.
When asked to point out the fan, the Australian raged: “The one with the dress, the one who looks like she’s had about 700 drinks, bro!”
The woman in question, Polish lawyer, Ania Palus, later filed a lawsuit against the star, leading to him settling with an apology and a £20,000 payout to Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity.
Umpire slap
Jeff Tarango, 54, made headlines in 1995 when he walked out of a match following a fierce argument with French umpire Bruno Rebeuh.
The shocking incident happened during the American’s third-round match against Alexander Mronz.
Already feeling hard done by after several calls were made against him in the game, Tarango exploded when fans heckled him as he prepared to serve.
When he shouted “Oh, shut up!”, the umpire issued a code violation to him on the grounds of audible obscenity.
After his calls for the umpire to be removed were denied, Tarango called him “one of the most corrupt officials in the game”, prompting Rebeuh to issue yet another code violation.
A raging Tarango then packed up his rackets and stormed off the court.
In a bizarre twist, his wife Benedicte decided to take matters into her own hands and slapped the official twice across the face.
She later defended her actions, claiming: “I don’t think it’s bad. I think it’s good, because this guy deserves a lesson at some point.
“He can do whatever he wants because he’s on the chair. It’s just not fair. The players have nobody to defend them in any situation.”
Tarango was subsequently banned from the 1996 tournament by the International Tennis Federation and fined around £8,000.
He later expressed regret, saying he felt “backed into a corner” and couldn’t defend himself.
Wardrobe malfunction
In 1979, Linda Siegel stunned fans when she arrived for her match with Billie Jean King in one of the most daring tennis outfits ever, a halter-neck mini dress with a plunging neckline.
The then-18-year-old American’s kit broke all dress codes for the game and set tongues wagging.
She even slipped out of the dress on a couple of occasions during the match, to the shock of the fans in attendance.
Pictures of her were all over the newspapers the next day, overshadowing the match.
When asked whether she was bothered by what her opponent was wearing, Billie Jean King said with a smile: “That’s great, if she’s happy. The audience sure was happy. If you’re well-endowed, you might as well show it.”
Lightning strike
Many fans hope to see drama on the court on the first day of Wimbledon, but few could have anticipated what happened in 1985.
On the first Monday of the tournament, a newly constructed £4million press centre was struck by lightning during a furious electrical storm.
Dramatic footage shows how ball boys and girls had to scramble out of the way, leaving spectators scratching their heads.
The force of the strike was so fierce that six large pieces of construction material collapsed 90ft to the stands below.
One fan later said he narrowly missed being hit by some of the falling objects. Thankfully nobody sustained any injuries.
Royal contestant
It’s no secret that the Royal Family has a soft spot for tennis – Princess Diana, Kate Middleton, and Meghan Markle have all been spotted watching avidly from the Royal Box.
But one year a member of the Firm actually competed in the tournament.
In 1926 King George VI, then the Duke of York, played in the men’s doubles alongside Louis Greig.
Their campaign was short-lived, however, as they were eliminated in the first round by former champions Herbert Roper Barrett and Arthur Gore.
The father of the late Queen Elizabeth II remains the only member of the British royal family to have competed at Wimbledon.
Quick change
In 2002 Anna Kournikova, 42, who is married to singer Enrique Iglesias, was told off for wearing black shorts during a practice session.
The All England Club, which has strict dress code rules, asked her to change to white shorts, but the Russian player didn’t have any to hand.
She was forced to borrow her male coach’s huge sports shorts for the rest of the match and even ripped off the logo so she didn’t offend her sponsors.
Security brawl
Last year three of the tournament’s security guards were arrested after an all-out brawl broke out in front of fans.
It kicked off when one worker from the Knights Security Group, contracted to provide security, accused his colleague of taking a three-hour break.
The mele was broken up by cops who took all three men into custody.
Although there were no injuries reported, a company insider said: “To have a fight in front of fans is not a good look.
“It has damaged the company’s reputation. I can’t believe they did that.”