When the gates opened, fans sprinted for Centre Court, and no wonder. Many had waited a lifetime to see Wimbledon.
Once inside, average fan Joe Bloke raised a racket Sunday at the All England Club with chanting, singing and flag-waving. He shouted during points, cheered double faults and generally gave tennis etiquette a beating.But Wimbledon won. The second middle Sunday of play in tournament history, like the first, proved memorable.
A week of rain delays forced Wimbledon to schedule matches Sunday, a traditional off day. Some 30,000 fans were admitted on a first-come, first-served basis for bargain prices of $8.25 to $24.75.
The club's customary upper-crust crowds gave way to fans wearing orange wigs, painted faces, rugby uniforms and even Union Jack top hats. They made enough noise for an entire nation, particularly while cheering top Brits Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski to victory.
The only previous middle Sunday matches at Wimbledon, six years ago, drew comparisons to Woodstock. This was better than Woodstock II.
"My type of crowd," said NBC commentator John McEnroe, who played on middle Sunday in 1991. "Today was great. The excitement was definitely there for tennis. They should do it every year."
The players, at least those who won, also applauded the youthful crowd - literally. Henman and a beaming Monica Seles clapped as they walked off Centre Court.
"The crowd was very spontaneous," Seles said. "They were much more into the match than usual, yelling many more things. It's much more exciting to play a match like that."
Fans may have been the difference in Henman's five-set thriller against Paul Haarhuis. They took Henmania to a new level of patriotism by unfurling British flags, chanting "Hen-man! Hen-man!" and cheering Haarhuis' double faults in the 14-12 final set.
Elsewhere on the grounds, the atmosphere also seemed different. Lines were shorter than usual for strawberries and cream, longer for pizza. Corporate hospitality tents stood mostly empty.
In anticipation of middle Sunday, hundreds of the fans spent the night in line. They began queuing up even before the decision to play was announced at 4 p.m. Saturday.
"I've always wanted to come to Wimbledon," one woman said. "This is one of the highlights of my life."
By mid-morning, there were two mile-long lines.
"Where do I go to join the queue to get in?" a late-arriving fan asked.
"At the end," came the reply.
The day included a few glitches. McEnroe, sitting in the stands, failed when he tried to get a wave started.
And some fans were frustrated by the wait to enter the grounds. They complained that the turnstiles opened just an hour before play began, and only 20 were used.
"I've never seen queues like it before," one spectator said. "It's been badly organized."
But under the circumstances, the club said, the day went smoothly.
"You can't open the gates any earlier because we have to get the site ready for play," spokesman Johnny Perkins said. "People came through as quickly as we could get them through, given the security checks we have put in place this year."
There were long lines even inside the club. During Michael Stich's match on Court 3, a stream of fans waiting for seats to become available stretched 50 yards.
Despite any frustration, the crowd remained orderly.
"The British are natural queuers," a bobby said. "The only time they get rowdy is after they have a few pints."
Thousands stayed until the final shot of the day, nine hours after it began, cheering to the end. Henman had a parting message.
"Come back again as soon as possible," he said. "Unfortunately I don't think a lot of them will be there for my next match."