Break point

The behaviour of the crowds at Wimbledon is becoming increasing partisan, xenophobic and, frankly, unacceptable. No one in their right mind would want to bring back the old days of skirts below the knee and audience participation limited to a polite clap at the end of each game. Tennis is no longer a gentleman's game, any more than Wimbledon is an amateur tournament. And thank heavens for that. The snobbery and arrogance of the All England Tennis Club was the bane of the great Fred Perry three-quarters of a century ago, just as it was for John McEnroe a decade past.

But to abandon patrician patronage should not be an excuse to let in the worst of modern manners. Tennis is not football, or indeed rugby or boxing. It is a test of character and mental strength as much as one of athleticism and physical stamina, and to cheer all the errors of those competing against British players is to destroy the whole point of the game. It's just not tennis.