# Wimbledon 2010 **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [June 19, 2010, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wimbledon-2010/543764 "2010-06-19T08:09:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![abbeytxs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@abbeytxs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abbeytxs)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wimbledon-2010/543764/221 "2010-06-24T17:00:32Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > They get rotated out every two or three hours. I was a Wimbledon ball boy in 1994. 🙂 That is so incredibly cool!! What did you have to do to get picked to be there? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wimbledon-2010/543764/222 "2010-06-24T17:01:28Z")
I was only there for something like 12 hours over three days, and I spend most of that time drinking Robinson’s Barley Water, rather than fetching things. Being on net is harder, but not because of the job. It’s because you always wonder if the server is going to accidentally brain you. This fear was especially pronounced when Goran was serving, because he usually hit second serves nearly as hard as first serves, instead of doing a low-speed, high-percentage kick serve. In fact, he replaced Boris Becker as my favorite player, purely because he didn’t hit me. I would probably have wet myself if someone with even more power and less control, like Richard Krajicek, was serving at me. In fact, Kracijek _did_ hit one of the ball boys that year, and while he didn’t break anything, he had a bruise from wrist to shoulder. [QUOTE=abbeytxs] That is so incredibly cool!! What did you have to do to get picked to be there? [/QUOTE] At the moment, you have to go to one of these schools and be very well-behaved. My school (Blue Coat in Birmingham) is no longer on the list, sadly, and it looks like they’re all in London now. I think each school picks their ball kids themselves- I got to do it because I was top of my class that school year, but the whole rugby team and girls’ netball team got to go as well. My niece goes to one of these schools, but she won’t be old enough for six years. That would be cool. 🙂 > [@](#): > > ``` > * The Beacon School, Banstead > * Bishopsford Community School, Morden > * Bishopsford Community School, Morden > * Glyn Technology School, Ewell > * Graveney School, Wandsworth > * Hall School, Wimbledon > * Holy Cross Convent School, New Malden > * John Fisher School, Purley > * Overton Grange School, Sutton > * Raynes Park High School, Raynes Park > * Ricards Lodge High School, Wimbledon > * Rutlish School, Merton > * Saint Cecilia’s School, Wandsworth > * Southborough, Kingston > * Sunbury Manor School, Sunbury > * Surbiton High School, Kingston > * Sutton Grammar School, Sutton > * Sutton High School Sutton > * Teddington, School, Teddington > * Tiffin School, Kingston > * Ursuline High School, Wimbledon > * Wilson's School, Wallington > * Wimbledon College, Wimbledon > * Wimbledon High School, Wimbledon > > ``` ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wimbledon-2010/543764/223 "2010-06-24T17:07:22Z")
Seth Meyers tweeted: “Mahut didn’t want it bad enough.” ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wimbledon-2010/543764/224 "2010-06-24T17:10:02Z")
I’ll repeat an earlier question. What did they give the umpire and both Isner and Mahmut? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wimbledon-2010/543764/225 "2010-06-24T17:10:07Z")
That’s really fascinating stuff. Does the barley water taste as vile as it looks and sounds? I think Tim Henman was the last guy who regularly drank the stuff. By the way, the match between Michael Russell and The Great Fognini is turning into sort of an anti-Mahut/Isner epic. It’s 2-2 in the fifth set, and they’ve had 18 breaks of serve. Both guys have more errors than winners, and Fognini is trying to rally from a two-set deficit. Meanwhile Robin Haase is making a nice effort against Nadal. Haase won the first set 7-5 before Nadal won the second in typical Nadal fashion, 6-2. They’re on serve early in the third. ---
**Author:** ![abbeytxs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@abbeytxs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abbeytxs)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wimbledon-2010/543764/226 "2010-06-24T17:12:59Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > At the moment, you have to go to one of these schools and be very well-behaved. My school (Blue Coat in Birmingham) is no longer on the list, sadly, and it looks like they’re all in London now. I think each school picks their ball kids themselves- I got to do it because I was top of my class that school year, but the whole rugby team and girls’ netball team got to go as well. > > My niece goes to one of these schools, but she won’t be old enough for six years. That would be cool. 🙂 Congratulations on being top of your class! I might have made more effort in school if being a ball kid was a potential reward!! (Ok, no I wouldn’t have) I’ll be looking for your niece’s “Ask the Wimbledon ball girl” thread in 2016. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wimbledon-2010/543764/227 "2010-06-24T17:13:47Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > That’s really fascinating stuff. Does the barley water taste as vile as it looks and sounds? I think Tim Henman was the last guy who regularly drank the stuff. It’s quite popular in the UK, at least among kids. It tastes more or less like reconstituted orange drink, only the barley makes it a bit thicker (and significantly less refreshing). ---
**Author:** ![abbeytxs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@abbeytxs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abbeytxs)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wimbledon-2010/543764/228 "2010-06-24T17:15:53Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I’ll repeat an earlier question. > > What did they give the umpire and both Isner and Mahmut? They gave them a couple of different boxes. One looked like it might have had a crystal dish in it, the others were wrapped in paper and the players didn’t open them on the court. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wimbledon-2010/543764/229 "2010-06-24T17:19:23Z")
Airbeds seem like the most appropriate gift. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wimbledon-2010/543764/230 "2010-06-24T17:19:47Z")
Did Isner drop out of doubles, then? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wimbledon-2010/543764/231 "2010-06-24T17:21:43Z")
They’re still listed as active in the draw, which is updated live. ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wimbledon-2010/543764/232 "2010-06-24T17:28:34Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > **RNATB**.I think the linesmen (and lineswomen) get rotated out every 30 minutes or so. That is what I was told on this board last year in the US open thread. I can’t say for sure what they do at Wimbledon, but they do indeed rotate out frequently at the US Open. I would expect all the grand slams to do similarly. ---
**Author:** ![abbeytxs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@abbeytxs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abbeytxs)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wimbledon-2010/543764/233 "2010-06-24T17:31:21Z")
Robin Haase (who?) up two sets to one over Nadal!! ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wimbledon-2010/543764/234 "2010-06-24T17:33:37Z")
They can’t possibly play today even if they don’t drop out. He is still on court, and just went up two sets to one against Ivan Dodig of Bosnia, and it’s 6:30 over there. Querrey should be able to finish this match but they wouldn’t send him right back out there, I don’t think. Nadal just lost the third set against Haase, so he’s trailing and in trouble. The mustache is a good look for him, though. The Great Fognini has completed another triumph in his London show _La Breakable_! He won the fifth set 6-3 shortly after finishing the 19th and final service break of the match. And Andy Murray’s older brother Jamie just lost a doubles match that went to 15-13 in the fifth. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wimbledon-2010/543764/235 "2010-06-24T17:34:51Z")
> [@amarone](#): > > I can’t say for sure what they do at Wimbledon, but they do indeed rotate out frequently at the US Open. I would expect all the grand slams to do similarly. I was paying attention to the lineswoman (somewhat) on the far right side. It looked like she got rotated out of the match, and then she was back in the calling the lines. I noticed that she was wearing sunglasses, and i couldn’t help but wonder if there was a special filter that you could put on lens that would help lines people to call the lines. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wimbledon-2010/543764/236 "2010-06-24T18:26:31Z")
Nadal did a nice job of turning on the jets there - or Haase got tight. Probably both. Nadal won the fourth set 6-0 and took the fifth 6-3. It looks like Haase had a fantastic serving day, with 28 aces and 2 double faults. With the help of some good serving and that short fourth set, these two played five sets in 2:22. That means they could have played this match almost five times in the amount of time it took Isner to beat Mahut. They could have done this match three times in the Is-Mah fifth set alone, and then had an hour to spare. Nadal will get Petzschner or Kubot next. He could be headed for a date with Isner, or much more likely Youzhny, in the fourth round. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wimbledon-2010/543764/237 "2010-06-24T18:34:03Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > I was paying attention to the lineswoman (somewhat) on the far right side. It looked like she got rotated out of the match, and then she was back in the calling the lines. I noticed that she was wearing sunglasses, and i couldn’t help but wonder if there was a special filter that you could put on lens that would help lines people to call the lines. Rose tinted lenses make it easier to differentiate between shades of green, and between white and green. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wimbledon-2010/543764/238 "2010-06-24T18:38:19Z")
Longest boxing match ever: 110 rounds, 7 hours. I think this beats it. Anyone got an athletic sport that lasted for longer? ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wimbledon-2010/543764/239 "2010-06-24T18:39:06Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I’ll repeat an earlier question. > > What did they give the umpire and both Isner and Mahmut? According to the [BBC](http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/8759545.stm), “the pair were each presented with a crystal bowl and crystal champagne flutes by the All England Club to mark their historic match”. ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wimbledon-2010/543764/240 "2010-06-24T18:44:31Z")
I hope I didn’t miss this getting posted earlier, but the [Guardian Wimbledon Live Blog](http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/jun/23/wimbledon-2010-tennis-live) of the epic match was hilarious. Seriously, the writer should win some sort of award for this. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wimbledon-2010/543764.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wimbledon-2010/543764.md?page=13)