Wimbledon invasions of mice and men
A streaker in Wimbledon Centre Court
Squirrels, pigeons and mice -- Wimbledon's Centre Court has attracted a menagerie of animals over the years who brought many a tense match to a halt with their unwelcome intrusions.
Nowadays, though, it is streakers who are the bigger menace, prompting the tournament authorities last year to contemplate putting up a fence between spectators and players.
The problem of animal intruders came to a head in 1999 when German players Boris Becker and Nicolas Kiefer were twice dive-bombed from the grandstand roof by pigeons.
So the All England Club gratefully accepted the services of a full-time falconer to patrol the courts with a swooping bird of prey, named Finnegan, acting as a highly effective deterrent.
Wimbledon librarian Alan Little, who boasts an encyclopaedic knowledge of tournament history, has compiled for his annual Wimbledon compendium a history of the most intriguing Centre Court invasions.
Back in 1949, the Centre Court ball boys had to chase a squirrel off the hallowed turf while the players sat down to await the all-clear.
Pam Shriver once had to contend with a swarm of bees. One stung her opponent, Kathy Rinaldi, on the arm and Shriver gallantly went over to remove the sting.
John McEnroe and Stefan Edberg had their razor-sharp concentration disturbed in the 1989 semi-final by two sparrows swooping in low.
But the humans win the top prizes for the most eccentric interruptions.
In the 1957 gentleman's final, a Mrs. Helen Jarvis invaded the court, shouting and waving a banner calling for a new world banking system.
A female streaker first took to the court in the 1996 men's final.
Last year, Maria Sharapova was startled by a streaker who leapt on to Centre Court during her quarter-final against Elena Dementieva.
She averted her gaze as he cart-wheeled naked in front of her before being bundled off court by security guards who wrapped him in a red blanket.
"I didn't want to look at all the details," Sharapova said.
But when told that some women spectators had been impressed by his physique, she replied: "Maybe next time I'll take a look."
多年来，温布尔登中央球场吸引了松鼠、鸽子和老鼠等一群群动物的光临，这些“不速之客”们不受欢迎的入侵曾使很多紧张的比赛被迫中断。
然而，如今裸奔者却成了更大的威胁，去年甚至使得比赛组委会打算在观众席和赛场中间筑一道围栏。
动物入侵的问题在1999年达到极致。在两名德国选手博里斯·贝克尔和尼古拉斯·基弗的比赛中，鸽子两次从正面看台的顶棚俯冲下来"轰炸"球场。
所以全英俱乐部欣然接受了一位专业驯鹰者的帮助，他训练出来的猎鹰“芬尼根”专门负责温网期间的场地巡逻，成为一个十分有效的威慑。
熟知温网历史的温布尔登图书管理员阿兰·里特专为他的温布尔登年鉴编撰了温网中央球场“最有趣的入侵史”。
1949年，中央球场的球童们不得不将一只松鼠逐出赛场，而选手们只好坐等"警报解除"。
帕姆·史莱弗曾有过一次在比赛中与一大群蜜蜂斗争的经历。其中一只蜜蜂在她的对手凯西·里纳尔蒂的胳膊上蜇了一下，史莱弗十分有风度的走了过去为凯西拔掉了刺。
1989年，约翰·麦肯罗和史蒂芬·埃德博格正全神贯注的打半决赛时，被两只突然入侵的麻雀打断。
但最为怪异的“入侵”还是来自人类自身。
在1957年的男单决赛中，一位名叫海伦·贾维斯的女士突然闯进球场，在场内为呼吁建立新的世界银行体系摇旗呐喊。
在1996年的男子决赛中，一名女裸奔者突现赛场，这是温网“入侵史”上首位裸奔者。
去年，莎拉波娃在与对手艾丽娜·戴蒙蒂娃进行四分之一赛时，被一位跃入中央球场的裸奔者吓了一大跳。
当这位男子裸着身体侧手翻出现在莎拉波娃面前时，莎娃避开了自己的目光。之后，这名裸奔者被保安用一只红毯子包裹起来，迅速送往了场外。
莎拉波娃说：“我不想去注意所有的细节。”
但当她被告知这名裸奔男子的体型给一些女观众留下了深刻的印象时，她回答说：“或许下次我会看一眼。”
streaker:裸奔者
come to a head:达到顶点
razor-sharp :犀利的；锋利的