Sometimes the bottle-popping can’t wait.
Leading Carlos Alcaraz 2-1 in the second set after dropping the first of the Wimbledon men’s final, Jannik Sinner faced an unexpected obstacle when a champagne cork popped its way onto the court just as the Italian was about to deliver his serve.
Sinner calmly picked up the cork and handed it to a ball girl who scurried off immediately with the untimely disruption.
“Ladies and gentlemen, as a courtesy to both players, please do not pop Champagne corks just as the players are about to serve,” an official said over the loudspeaker.
Sinner ultimately went on to take down Alcaraz in four sets for his first Wimbledon title.
“Only here at Wimbledon,” Sinner later joked about the stoppage. “That’s exactly why we love playing here.”
While this was on the biggest stage and the cork actually made its way onto the court, it wasn’t the first champagne-popping disruption throughout Wimbledon.
There were two instances on the women’s side of the tournament where spectators had to be reminded of the rules to not pop corked bottles when players are about to serve.
“The most Wimbledon warning you’ve ever heard,” one broadcaster said after hearing the umpire remind the crowd of the proper etiquette.
One of the disruptions came during women’s runner-up Amanda Anisimova’s match against Dalma Galfi, where Anisimova was frustrated with a bottle-pop that came just before she was about to serve.
Wimbledon’s prestige knows no bounds, as spectators must follow many different rules including a dress code of all white.
All corked bottles are supposed to be opened prior to being taken into the stands, clearly to avoid instances like Sinner’s or Anisimova’s.
Anisimova rightfully voiced her displeasure and later suggested that spectators do it during the changeover, but Sinner, fresh off his triumphant win, laughed it off.
“It’s a very expensive tournament,” he joked.