As the roof opened at Wimbledon, ball boys and girls went on a hop-skip-jump parade round the courtside, flinging souvenir tennis balls into the crowd. For commentators who'd just been in the same court weeks ago for the Wimbledon tournament proper, the contrast between the atmosphere of the two finals couldn't have been greater.
"This feels like a Davis Cup crowd. This is taking place at Wimbledon, but this is not Wimbledon," said former British tennis No. 1 Tim Henman, a silver medalist in Atlanta.
And John McEnroe, a popular fixture on British Wimbledon TV coverage, suggested the pro tennis circuit, particularly the mother of Grand Slams, could benefit from the Olympic spirit.
"They're too damn polite here at Wimbledon, simple as that," McEnroe said as the conga-line of ball-chuckers bobbed past, laughing and offering shout-outs to their targets in the stands. Referring to the passing raucous youth, McEnroe said, "I absolutely love it. Over at beach volleyball it gets crazy. They even have DJs. I think we should incorporate more of that into our sport."
EDITOR'S NOTE — "Eyes on London" shows you the Olympics through the eyes of Associated Press journalists across the 2012 Olympic city and around the world. Follow them on Twitter where available with the handles listed after each item.