The woman was obviously not in her right mind.
There she was, with a Centre Court seat on the historic middle Sunday of Wimbledon, and she was determined to explain how it came to pass.
Never before in the long and storied history of these championships had the tradition of no play on this day been disturbed, and the moment would not pass quietly.
Tickets were unreserved, available at discounted prices, and thousands of first-time visitors camped out overnight, then politely but frantically stormed through the gates to their treasured seats.
The wave broke out, as did spirited chants and rowdy cheers. Sacrilege on the Centre Court, and yet wonderful at the same time.
Perhaps it was this that moved the first-time spectator to reveal her personal story. One can only wonder.
”It was 4 o`clock in the morning,” the woman explained, ”and I woke up my husband and said, `Let`s go for it.` But he thought I meant something else, so he rolled over and went back to bed.”
It was that kind of day. That kind of Wimbledon.
Dramatic. Ground-breaking. And just a little bit absurd.
It began with the mystery of Monica Seles; slogged through the tedium of seemingly unending rain; and became silly with the preoccupation of a certain American male`s fashion choice.
This third leg of the Grand Slam reassured fans worried about the possible demise of Jimmy Connors and the mellowing of John McEnroe; heartened them with the resilience of Brit Nick Brown; and inspired them with Jennifer Capriati and David Wheaton and, finally, Michael Stich.
Three players with 14 Wimbledon singles titles between them were unceremoniously eliminated, but Martina Navratilova, Stefan Edberg and Boris Becker were gracious in defeat.
And American tennis received another boost by the presence of four women in the final eight and six men in the final 16.
”It`s just a really positive thing for the tennis movement in America,” said Jim Courier, who reached the quarterfinals before falling to eventual champion Stich. ”People asking what happened to us a few years ago don`t have to ask anymore.”
But Wimbledon also tickled and intrigued.
Was Agassi to be taken seriously playing his second grass court tournament in four years and prompting more debate about whether he would conform to the all-white dress code?
That answer has to be ”yes” after Agassi reached the quarterfinals before pulling a thigh muscle and losing to fellow American David Wheaton.
”I`m looking forward to coming back,” Agassi said after the loss. ”I`m going to mark it on my calendar.”
Wheaton has to be taken seriously as well after his semifinal appearance, and expectations will continue to grow. But how about U.S. Open champion Pete Sampras? He has the game to contend on grass, but has not yet made his move, losing in the first round in 1990 and in the second round this year.
”It just wasn`t meant to be this year,” Sampras, 19, said. ”All I can say is that I`ll be back next year and the year after that and the year after that. I just have to take this loss and go from here. Use this as an experience.”
The women`s game, thought to be headed for relative obscurity with the retirement of Chris Evert two years ago, is as compelling as ever.
With Seles` still mysterious absence from Wimbledon, she remains No. 1 in the computer rankings. But Steffi Graf`s victory over Gabriela Sabatini in Saturday`s final may very well give Graf some much-needed confidence and inspiration to keep the top spot up for grabs.
Capriati became the youngest Wimbledon semifinalist in history at 15 years 96 days when she knocked off nine-time champion Navratilova. ”I finally did it,” Capriati said after notching her first victory over a top four player. And undoubtedly, she will do it again and soon.
Navratilova double-faulted the match away and broke down afterward, questioning her heart at age 34. ”It`s been tough,” she said.
But the tournament ended on a youthful note with the coronation of first- time champion Michael Stich.
Fitting, actually, a 66-1 shot winning the title. But then, it was that kind of Wimbledon.
