2 weeks ago
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Wimbledon spectators were warned about popping champagne corks after one nearly hit Jannik Sinner during his men’s singles final against Carlos Alcaraz.
Play was stopped during the second set on Centre Court when a cork landed just a few feet away from Sinner as he was about to serve.
The Italian picked it up and handed it to a nearby ball boy as the umpire said: ‘Please do not pop champagne corks as the players are about to serve.’
The interruption came as Sinner served to make it 3-1 in the second set during a thrilling start to the final.
Spaniard Alcaraz won the first set with a moment of genius, somehow stretching to return a certain winner from Sinner down the line after a scintillating rally that brought Centre Court to its feet.
Alcaraz is looking to become only the fifth player after Bjon Borg, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic to win the men’s singles titles three years in a row.
Jannik Sinner was almost hit by champagne cork at Wimbledon while playing in the men's final
Sinner was about to serve when a cork landed near him, forcing the umpire to step in
The Italian picked it up and handed it to a nearby ball boy as he let the hotly-contested final
It’s not the first time champagne corks have got in the way during the Championships as one flew over Emma Raducanu’s head during her first-round victory over Mimi Xu.
Raducanu also picked it up before offering it to someone in the crowd.
‘It was a first,’ laughed Raducanu. ‘It was pretty entertaining – I’m glad they were having a good time.
