A Pigeon Chasing Hawk, The Loudest Grunter And Pimm's - What You Need To Know About Wimbledon 2021
What you need to know and what you never expected.
Photo: Unsplash/shep979
The oldest tennis tournament in the world may be steeped in history, but that doesn’t stop the common folk like us from enjoying a match, traditional Pimm’s or donning our Wimbledon whites.
Like royalty,
The Last Night’s Game Team
1. There’s a strict dress code at the prestigious tournament, requiring players to wear all white. (Rumor has it was that it was because it didn’t show sweat like other colors). Now we all know that nothing ruins your summer whites like bird poop. Luckily you don’t have to worry about that at Wimbledon. Rufus is a specially trained hawk that keeps those pooping pigeons away from the grounds. Like a good predator, Rufus flies above the grounds for one hour (9.00 am) most mornings before the gates open to keep the birds away. EYES LIKE A HAWK
2. Did you know that Wimbledon is the largest single annual sporting event in Europe from a catering perspective? In previous years, spectators consumed over 276,000 glasses of Pimm’s to wash down 18,061 servings of fish and chips. Although this year, those numbers might be a little lower as fan capacity is limited to 50% occupancy until the men’s and women’s finals, when the stadium will be at 100% capacity. The tournament has served 4,242 servings of sushi and 6,147 of pasta to their racket-wielding athletes. WHO’S HUNGRY?
3. The tennis balls are replaced every seven to nine games to ensure they’re kept in perfect shape. It’s no wonder more than 54,000 tennis balls are used during the two-week tournament. But did you know that tennis balls used to be white or black, not yellow? They were changed to yellow to make it easier for the TV viewer to see the ball, but Wimbledon was a late adopter to the color change, waiting until the 80s. HOLY BALLS
4. Grunting is something no longer left to gremlins and grumpy old men. Even the classiest of tennis players vocalize their play. While you may think this is a new thing, Monica Seles and Jimmy Connors are known as the original creators of the tennis grunt. The loudest one on the court? Russia’s Maria Sharapova at 105 decibels – the equivalent of standing next to an accelerating motorcycle. THAT’S NOT AWKWARD AT ALL
5. The biggest news about Wimbledon is who isn’t going to be there. Naomi Osaka and Rafael Nadal have both dropped out of the tournament. But instead of looking at the glass half empty, let’s talk about how Serena Williams will be there to go for her record-tying 24 Grand Slam win. Or the two of the biggest names in men’s tennis, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, will take the court. Djokovic has won the first two Grand Slam tournaments (aka majors) this year. (Wimbledon is the third major of the year). BE THERE OR BE SQUARE
Bonus: Last year’s tournament was cancelled but don’t feel too bad. The All-England Lawn Tennis Club had been paying pandemic insurance for 17 years, and it finally paid off with a rumored payout of $141 million.
The Proof Is In The Pudding
Why one football player is running with the bulls, this is it for Wimbledon and the NBA has the experts all confused.
No question, it’s Friday. Take your weekend to the next level with today’s wisdom.
Knowledge is power,
The Last Night’s Game Team
NBA (National Basketball Association)
In another blockbuster trade, the Oklahoma City Thunder traded away their star player, Russell Westbrook, to the Houston Rockets. Why is this a big deal? The tides keep shifting for next season with big moves from the Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers (to name a few) and now the Rockets. There’s no telling what could happen next season. THE EXPERTS ALL AGREE…THEY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT’S GOING ON
Overtime
The off-season workout routine for Josh Norman of the Washington Redskins (NFL – National Football League) is a little more ballsy than most. Not sure how this doesn’t violate the “things you shouldn’t do so you don’t hurt yourself too badly” clause in his contract, but watch Norman run with (and hurdle) the bulls in Pamplona, Spain this week. AT LEAST THE PILATES MAT WON’T GORE YOU
Sideline Stat
Rufus the Hawk is going to be very busy protecting the skies over Wimbledon this weekend. First the “Big 3” - Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are playing in the semifinals today. Serena Williams will play Simona Halep in the women’s singles finals on Saturday. If Williams wins, she will tie the all-time record for the most Grand Slam titles at 24. (There are four major tournaments that qualify as “Grand Slams” in tennis. Wimbledon is one of them). WILL THERE BE ANOTHER ROYALS SIGHTING?
PS – Don’t know why Rufus the Hawk is such a big deal? Check out Five Things You Need To Know About Wimbledon.
Coaches’ Corner
Because why not? Robot umpires debuted at the Minor League Baseball All-Star Game this week. The robotic system is thought to speed up the game because there will be a consistent strike zone so players won’t waste time arguing balls and strikes. Imagine all of the carefully choreographed heckling that is now going to fall on deaf (or no) ears. WHAT’S NEXT? A ROBOT BEER VENDOR ROAMING THE STANDS?
Weekend Warrior
The bottle cap challenge is all the rage, how the U.S. Women broke a monumental record and why you might want to become a vegetarian.
Make your own fireworks this weekend.
Heating up the small talk,
The Last Night’s Game Team
Women’s World Cup
If you think everyone is excited about Sunday’s finals game between the U.S. and the Netherlands, you’d be right. Proud U.S. Soccer fans have made the U.S. Women's home jersey the number one soccer jersey, men's or women's, ever sold on Nike.com in one season. (The game is Sunday at 11 am EST). HEY LOOK MA I MADE IT
With the soar in popularity of women’s soccer, ESPN picked up the television rights to the second half of the National Women's Soccer League season, which starts back after the World Cup. BIG FAN
Overtime
The queen of tennis, Serena Williams, has been entertaining a royal audience at Wimbledon. Meghan Markle attended a match and watched her dear friend advance to the next round. Kate Middleton also attended one of Williams’ matches. Markle and Williams met at the 2010 Super Bowl and became fast friends.
Also, drawing major attention after beating Venus Williams in the first round is 15-year-old Coco Gauff, the youngest competitor in the tournament, who has advanced to the third round. PLAY ON
Sideline stat
He didn’t break his own record but professional eater Joey Chestnut still had an epic day that would make most of us vomit. He downed 71 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes to win the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest. Chestnut’s closest competitor ate 50 hot dogs/buns. WORLD DOMINATION
Coaches’ Corner
The new celebrity challenge hitting the internet is the bottle cap challenge. Can you unscrew a bottle cap on a bottle with a kick? John Mayer succeeded and Blake Shelton didn’t. Regardless, it’s funny watching them try. DON’T FORGET TO STRETCH FIRST
What to watch
In case you want an all soccer Sunday, the U.S. Men’s soccer team is playing Mexico in the finals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup Sunday night in Chicago. (CONCACAF - pronounced CON-kuh-kaff - stands for the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football). The biennial tournament crowns the champion of our continent. SHOW ME SOME SOCCER