American fans dressed up for the occasion
On Independence Day, Court 12 sees a festival of US action, writes Sam Dean at Wimbledon
Fireworks at Wimbledon? Not quite, but there was an Independence Day celebration of sorts at SW19, where a small corner of the All England Club turned all-american for one day at least. This was a happy Fourth of July for the legions of tennis tourists who cross the Atlantic each year. It was a convenient day, too, as the scheduling had turned Court 12 into a particularly attractive spot for an American invasion.
Each of its first three matches was contested by a player from the United States. Madison Keys, the 10th seed in the women’s draw, opened up the proceedings with an emphatic victory, before Sam Querrey and John Isner, the two highest-ranked men’s players from the US, loped onto the grass.
On the most American of days, this was the most American of action. So much so that when Querrey first made his way towards the court, his eyes squinting in the blinding sun, he might have been forgiven for thinking he was back in his home city, Las Vegas.
“This is awesome!” exclaimed one wide-eyed supporter, her voice thick with American twang, as Querrey brushed past her on the pathway. “Let’s go, Sam!” yelled another, as he claimed the first set against Sergiy Stakhovsky. “Whoa!” purred a third, in a clear breach of Wimbledon’s etiquette, when Querrey crashed down one of 17 aces.
The Americanisation extended to the crowd’s sartorial choices. One gentleman, whom we can only assume was feeling in a selfdeprecating mood when he woke up in the morning, sported a polo shirt that contained enormous stars on the sleeves and vertical stripes on the stomach. Flattering? Not even close. Patriotic?
Hell yeah!
It got better on Centre Court, where Serena Williams eviscerated poor Viktoriya Tomova, as one fan was spotted in Us-themed shirt (half stripes, half stars), Us-themed sunglasses (all stripes) and Us-themed hat (stars and stripes, with “USA all the way” printed on top).
These were gallant attempts to inject the All England Club with a dash of American pomp, even if they were always destined to be drowned out by the relentless ripple of polite applause. “Obviously, London does not really care about the Fourth of July,” said Keys, who said she may celebrate with a barbecue. “There’s not much going on.”
Querrey was a little more enthused, saying it was “pretty cool” to play and win on his country’s big day. “It makes it a little nicer, I guess, to win a match on the Fourth of July,” he said.
Irrespective of the date, there is no shortage of love for Wimbledon from our friends across the pond, and the American appetite for grass-court tennis is only growing.
The affection for Wimbledon can loosely be grouped with the same excitement generated by the Royal Family. It is seen as quaint, traditional and the ultimate example of Britishness. “The reason I started playing tennis was because of Wimbledon, essentially,” said Keys, who grew up in Illinois.
The success of the Williams sisters since the turn of the century has maintained that interest, but there is no denying that the US is awaiting its next male contender for the Wimbledon title. This is the 18th Wimbledon since Pete Sampras last won here.
There is hope, though, in youth. Taylor Fritz, the son of former world No 10 Kathy May, has potential, and so does 20-year-old Frances Tiafoe. A male star from the US would be a commercial boon for the sport, and would provide another reason for the tourists to cheer.