The entire nation is currently gripped in the annual two weeks of Wimbledon fever with the best players in the world strutting their stuff on the lawns of SW19, and the pressure could not be higher.
Down the years we have enjoyed some legendary performances at Wimbledon but we although we don't always admit it, we have also enjoyed our fair share of meltdowns. Who doesn't love a player finally crumbling in front of the worlds TV cameras, and few tournaments can match Wimbledon when it comes to famous rants.
Which Wimbledon meltdowns make the top five?
1.John McEnroe - You Cannot Be Serious???
No one will be surprised to see this man at the top of the list with the John McEnroe rant of 1981 just as notorious all these years later. You might even say that McEnroe has made a career of being angry as a result of this exact moment.
At the time, McEnroe was already considered something of a brat but that infamy reached new levels during his match with Tom Gullikson, when chair umpire Edward James ruled his serve out. McEnroe immediately lost his mind at the refusal to overturn the call, and the rest, as they say, is history...
"You cannot be serious???"
2.Jeff Tarango - You're The Most Corrupt Official In the Game!
We move forward now to 1995 and it is another American in at #2 with Jeff Tarango going down in history, thanks to this epic meltdown at SW19.
What started out as a minor disagreement over a serve being called out, spiralled out of control and ended with Tarango storming off court and arguing with the fans. Tarango has since turned into a popular part of the BBC team during Wimbledon but he will always remain most famous for his rant of 1995 and the epic line he uttered at the chair umpire...
"You're the most corrupt official in the game!"
3.Viktor Troicki - You're An Idiot!
We fast forward to 2016 for our next outburst, and this one really is a humdinger.
With Victor Troicki two points from defeat in the 5th set against Vinolas-Ramos of Spain, the Serbian finally exploded after a disputed line call gave his opponent match point.
Troicki promptly lost the next point, the match with it, and that is when it all hit the fan. The Serb remonstrated with the chair umpire for minutes after the match had ended, and security was quickly called to diffuse the situation.
"You're an idiot, i'm sorry to tell you."
4. Nick Kyrgios - Tanking Controversy
We have a feeling that Nick Kyrgios might be making a career out of controversial moments but when it comes to Wimbledon we have to look back to his 2015 defeat to Richard Gasquet.
A huge talent, Kyrgios has long struggled to keep himself in check and this match against the Frenchman had it all. Disputed line calls, arguments with his box and the chair umpire, but it was accusations of tanking that took the headlines in particular.
At the end of the first set it appeared as if the Australian had given up chasing the ball and it caused major controversy across the globe at the time. The crowd got on his back and although he did manage to win a set, he lost the match in four sets thanks to a double fault.
5.Greg Rusedski - Bleep Bleep Bleep
It all came to a head for Greg Rusedski at Wimbledon in 2003 as he lost to the up and coming Andy Roddick on Centre Court.
With his career on the wain, and the American winning the match, a member of the crowd called a Roddick serve out which caused the Brit to lose the point, and it is fair to say he didn't react well.
Having lost the game, Rusedski wondered back to his chair before unleashing a rant of epic proportions at the chair umpire with a number of swear words clearly audible to TV audiences around the world. it was the moment when Rusedski saw his chances of ever winning Wimbledon slip through his fingers and one of the strongest memories of his career.
