rezaomo
06-29-2014, 08:23 AM
It's not so much the closing of one option for the players, as the opening of a new one
Literally
.
Pat Cash was the first newly crowned Wimbledon champion to climb up to the players' box, clambering over the commentary box, after beating Ivan Lendl in the 1987 final.
The scene has been replicated on many emotional occasions since – most memorably by Andy Murray last year (when he had to go back because he forgot to celebrate with his mum) and Rafael Nadal in 2008 who ventured over to the Royal Box to shake hands with the Spanish crown prince and his wife. But it has never quite reached “tradition” status.
In the dressing rooms, it’s considered a custom that some players take up and others don’t. Roger Federer, for one – surely the icon of this era – has always shunned the climb on the grounds that it is unfair to leave the runner-up alone on the court.
So, myth-busting time. Contrary to rumours that the All England Club has “ruined” a tradition by banning future champions from scrambling over tiers of seats and the commentary cabin, we can reveal the Club has simply introduced a set of steps and a Champions’ Gate designed to offer a more dignified option for players who do want to reach out to their coaches, family and friends in that moment of jubilation.
It’s not a ban. Or a “killjoy gate”. Just an option. As Maria Sharapova shrugged – as no-nonsense as ever: “I heard you can open the gate. Gates open
Literally
.
Pat Cash was the first newly crowned Wimbledon champion to climb up to the players' box, clambering over the commentary box, after beating Ivan Lendl in the 1987 final.
The scene has been replicated on many emotional occasions since – most memorably by Andy Murray last year (when he had to go back because he forgot to celebrate with his mum) and Rafael Nadal in 2008 who ventured over to the Royal Box to shake hands with the Spanish crown prince and his wife. But it has never quite reached “tradition” status.
In the dressing rooms, it’s considered a custom that some players take up and others don’t. Roger Federer, for one – surely the icon of this era – has always shunned the climb on the grounds that it is unfair to leave the runner-up alone on the court.
So, myth-busting time. Contrary to rumours that the All England Club has “ruined” a tradition by banning future champions from scrambling over tiers of seats and the commentary cabin, we can reveal the Club has simply introduced a set of steps and a Champions’ Gate designed to offer a more dignified option for players who do want to reach out to their coaches, family and friends in that moment of jubilation.
It’s not a ban. Or a “killjoy gate”. Just an option. As Maria Sharapova shrugged – as no-nonsense as ever: “I heard you can open the gate. Gates open