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More Wembley than Wimbledon Wild crowd adds life to already exciting championship
LONDON (Reuters) -- Australians turned out in force on Centre Court but after three hours of nerve-shattering tennis in the "People's Final," the clusters of red-checkered Croatians were the ones celebrating. Buoyed by hordes of Britons sneaking off work, the crowd erupted as Goran Ivanisevic became the first wildcard to clinch the world's most prestigious title at Wimbledon. "This was a once in a lifetime occasion. We are very, very excited and we had so much fun today," London-based Croat Pecotic Kresimir said, wrapped in his national flag, a huge grin smiling through his painted face. "Everyone back home is going to go crazy." Centre Court had never seen anything like it at a final. Instead of rows of middle-aged men and women politely clapping, there was a sea of silly hats, inflatable kangaroos and young people out to enjoy themselves. Chanting started well before the match, setting the tone for an occasion that was more Wembley than Wimbledon. Weekend rain had meant the men's singles final did not start until Monday and 10,000 tickets were handed out on a first come, first served basis. So on Saturday night, fans neither rich, organized or lucky enough to win finals tickets months in advance, started the long wait until the gates opened. By Monday morning a line of sleeping bodies snaked for at least three miles from the All England Club. "It's been a great night and we can't wait to get in there, but we're a bit scared as we have to call out bosses to explain why we are not at work," Australian Melanie Rowlands said, munching on a hot dog after a 12-hour wait. Once on Centre Court, the bleary-eyed, unshaven fans forgot about their fitful night's sleep on a square of south-London pavement, and began to shout. As the cheers and chanting grew louder, faster and more furious, so did the tennis. Each break point, and later, each match point, propelled the crowd from their seats and Australians battled with Croatians to drown out rival shouts of "Goran!" and "Rafter!" "So many Australian fans, Croatians. I mean, it was like a football match," a jubilant Ivanisevic said after the match. As their national hero prepared to serve for the match, the yells of the red-and-white wigged Croatian contingent reverberated around the court, nudging hysteria. The relentlessly swaying Australian flags stood briefly still and the yellow-T-shirted fans -- including the visiting cricket team -- were subdued. After pelting down a last serve, collapsing on to the floor, then shaking hands with Rafter at the net, the 2001 champion vaulted over the stands to embrace his father. Maso Brankovic had virtually lost her voice after hours of almost incessant cheering, but was off to celebrate in style anyway. "I'm ecstatic. This is amazing and he really deserved it. I never thought I'd get to watch Goran live in a Wimbledon final. It's unbelievable," she said between screams, as Ivanisevic took one last tour of the court, holding his trophy high. Rafter, gracious in defeat, thanked the crowd. "I don't know if Wimbledon's seen anything like it. I don't know if they will again... But it was just electric."
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. |
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