Jannik Sinner’s task was already tough enough: defeat rival Carlos Alcaraz in the men’s final of Wimbledon on Sunday. Then he had to deal with Champagne corks.
Up 2-1 in the second set after dropping the first, the Italian was about to serve for a chance to win the game. But an ill-timed bottle pop from the crowd resulted in a cork landing on the court. Sinner stopped bouncing the tennis ball and took a few steps back. Alcaraz, across the net, threw his hands up in frustration.
Sinner picked up the cork and handed it to a ball girl, who sprinted off with the 2-inch disruption.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” the umpire said on the loudspeaker, “as a courtesy to both players, please do not pop Champagne corks just as the players are about to serve.”
Sinner would go on to defeat Alcaraz in four sets to claim his first Wimbledon trophy. With Sunday’s victory, Sinner has now won every Grand Slam except the French Open.
He was asked after the match about “having to avoid a Champagne cork that came onto the court.”
Sinner said it’s only happened at Wimbledon.
“But that’s exactly why we love playing here,” he joked. “It’s a very expensive tournament.”
Sunday’s Champagne incident wasn’t the first time it occurred at Wimbledon this year. In the women’s singles quarterfinal last Tuesday, a fan uncorked a bottle just as Anastasia Potapova was set to serve to Mirra Andreeva.
Earlier in the tournament, American star Amanda Anisimova squared off with Hungarian Dalma Galfi. Moments before tossing the ball for a serve, a cork popped in the crowd, causing her to be visibly upset and voice her displeasure.
The umpire reminded the crowd of the etiquette rules, prompting a broadcaster to say it was “the most Wimbledon warning you’ve ever heard.”
Anisimova, who went on to make the women’s singles final before falling in straight sets to Iga Swiatek, spoke after the match about the constant cork popping.
“I mean, it kept happening,” she told Reuters. “At some point I was like, ‘Can everybody just do it on the changeover?’”
Wimbledon is the most prestigious tournament in tennis, an event that has taken place since 1877. Unlike other Grand Slams, there is a dress code for all competitors: all white. Fans at the All England Club must also follow stringent rules, one being the popping of bottles in the stands.
On the entry to the grounds, it’s stated that “all corked bottles, including bottles of champagne and sparkling wine, must be opened prior to being taken into the stands of any court.”
Some fans may have missed that.
