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Why Do Tennis Crowds Have to Be So Quiet? - Atlas Obscura
The game’s long, weird, elitist history provides some clues.
Ladies and gentlemen, quiet please. Players are ready. Thank you.”
This is a common refrain at tennis matches, especially rowdy ones, which are not particularly rowdy by the standards of almost any other major sport. It’s a line delivered by the chair umpire, the lead on-site official. Weirdly, if you think about it, the crowds aren’t dismayed at this message. Sometimes they applaud it. “Yes,” tennis crowds seem to say. “Tell us to shut up.”
The US Open, one of the four biggest annual events in professional tennis, announced recently that it plans to move forward with the tournament in New York during the COVID-19 pandemic. As with some other sports, like NBA basketball, English Premier League soccer, and Major League Baseball, the US Open will be conducted this year without a crowd.
The game’s long, weird, elitist history provides some clues.
Ladies and gentlemen, quiet please. Players are ready. Thank you.”
This is a common refrain at tennis matches, especially rowdy ones, which are not particularly rowdy by the standards of almost any other major sport. It’s a line delivered by the chair umpire, the lead on-site official. Weirdly, if you think about it, the crowds aren’t dismayed at this message. Sometimes they applaud it. “Yes,” tennis crowds seem to say. “Tell us to shut up.”
The US Open, one of the four biggest annual events in professional tennis, announced recently that it plans to move forward with the tournament in New York during the COVID-19 pandemic. As with some other sports, like NBA basketball, English Premier League soccer, and Major League Baseball, the US Open will be conducted this year without a crowd.