Mouthy Fan Is Served a Skirt at Stuffy Wimbledon and Hilarity Ensues

Tennis isn’t the most popular sport in this country, but it’s a much bigger deal in England, especially as Wimbledon takes place in London at the All England Club.

For Americans, the tournament tends to be a little stuffy. Everyone dressed in white, the requirement to keep quiet during the match — rules that seem alien to our American sensibilities encouraging sports to be about passion, about fire.

A video popped up on my feed yesterday, however, that blew the whole idea of Wimbledon as uptight out of the water…even if just for a bit.

How many athletes have wanted to challenge a fan to come out onto the field and “put up or shut up,” even in a good-natured way? But rules are rules and since Wimbledon has a strict dress code, well…what are you going to do?

Player Kim Clijsters figured it out. She challenged a heckler to come onto the court, pointed out the dress code rule, then helped her target by bringing out a white skirt for him to wear. After all, if you’re going to play tennis at Wimbledon during a women’s doubles match, you need to wear a skirt. Then a white top was produced for him as well.

For me, the most impressive thing is that the outfit sort of fit on the fan, who could easily be described as “portly.” He’s a big boy and the fact that these women had clothing that could go over him, well…

At one point, Clijsters is literally rolling on the ground laughing. Kind of like how I was while watching this one.

When it was over, everyone showed what great sports they were by giving the guy a hug, then posing for a photo with him. He even kept wearing the skirt when he returned to the stands, which may have been for the best. After all, did Clijsters really want it back?