This may sound sacrilegious but I've never cared much for Borg's iconic Wimby celebrations. You can tell he'd rehearsed that kneel-down scene in his head over and over, so much of the spontaneity we expect was lost. Same reason why I wasn't too fond of Bull's theatrics (sans that knowing post-'22 AO F grin), Fraud's '17 AO, Djoker's over-the-top outbursts, etc.
As you might have guessed I tend to like 'em short and understated and remain ambivalent about
the climb-up-to-the-stands tradition Cash jump-started with his '87 Wimby win. So I prefer, say, Marat's almost aw-shucks '05 AO punch-up (I could throw in his very 1st celebration too though
he did kiss the court towards the end) and, of course, Pistol's and
my gal Justine's mostly matter-of-fact reactions to their own sweet Ws.
But that doesn't mean I want these jubilations free of emotions. Cases in point:
Yeah Pete was unusually emotional following his (then) record 13th Slam:
That's the kind of unscripted post-W celebration I do dig and appreciate. I mean you've gotta be an unadulterated sociopath not to be moved by that at least a tiny bit.
But how about his very first and last hurrahs?
He just looks and
(re)acts like such a dorky kid in that 1st clip (
his post-'96 YEC F celebration was endearingly awkward, too), while the 2nd one needs no explanation. Granted he did pull his own Cash here (and after that '00 Wimby W), but given the circumstances I think we can cut him some slack.
As for Goran's Hollywood ending:
You can't possibly rehearse that. The unlikeliest of all Slam runs, culminating in front of the most electrifying crowd ever seen at Centre Court. And along with those other memorable 5-setters, the single greatest Wimbledon ever.
A couple more things:
I much prefer yesterday's to-the-point-ness to today's histrionics myself. I mean if you're gonna call that much attention to yourself with the same predictable falling-down routine at least put a different spin on it a la Med!
Also agreed on Boris, though his arms-up-in-the-sky ritual didn't really change a whole lot throughout his career:
The only exception I can think of is the '89 Wimby F where
he thoughtfully toned it down in light of the thumping. Damn sleeping pills for the non-repeat the following year!
This is probably my fav Nole celebration. No theatrical BS, no (arguably) juvenile taunting of the opponent/crowd. Just taking a piece of Centre Court like a boss.
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