Wimbledon is the only sports event I know of, where a player gets a round of applause for having used the toilet. It's true, though isn't it? Players asks umpire for toilet break. Umpire agrees. Player goes off, and when he/she comes back on they get a round of applause! Ipso fatso!
Anyway, I just wish the Canadian born "British" player, with a Romanian father and Chinese mother, all the best in the next round. She's a bright, talented little thing isn't she, "our" Emma?
With regard to the applause when tennis players take a "bathroom break" I think it's just bit of courtesy and acknowledgement to the player. It's not a team sport and it must be a pretty lonely place out there. And yes - Good Luck Emma - and with your A level results too.
That Wimbledon crowd would applaud a dog turd if it rolled onto the court.
As it happens, I'm going to Wimbledon next week - but I'll reserve my applause for when it's warranted.
What’s annoying is when the umpire asks people not to cheer during play or to use flash photography. Everyone claps as if to say ‘I would never do that. Who are these savages?’