You cannot be serious

[Dom Tuk]

Why does the use of that famous phrase by McEnroe still evoke laughter. In every charity match he is expected to say it and everyone knows its coming and yet the crowd and commentators find it hilarious. Also why do wimbledon crowds find any little thing a player does, that is slightly out of the ordinary, like wave to a fan or scratch his back, hilarious?

[jno]

there may also be something slightly apologetic about it. Though I wasn't really aware of it at the time, it seems in retrospect that a lot of McEnroe's protests about umpiring decisions were justified; so the vilification that came his way was undeserved. By making a joke of the whole thing now, McEnroe is saying he forgives people for this, and by laughing people are acknowledging that he has a point. I may be over-analysing this, though.

As far as the back-scratching goes, I imagine it's light relief, a break in the tension of a match.

[acw]

6 words for you Dom Tuk! :-)

You're not forced to watch tennis! :-)

PS I someone trite (sp?) answer could suggest that the scratching and waving is more interesting than the ace after ace play that the men's game has decended to.  Personally I like tennis though. 

[Dom Tuk]

acw...the problem is that i like tennis, its the antics of the crowd/commentators that annoys me. But then Sue Barker will laugh at anything anyone says on Question of Sport so i should not be surprised. Maybe i am just getting old and grumpy.

[littleoldme]

I'm anxiously waiting for the first drop of rain at Wimbledon. The usual team will race to drag the covers across the court, someone in the middle will "accidentally" slip, and disappear under the all-consuming tarpaulin with hi-hi-hilarious consequences.

The crowd will hoot with laughter while the unfortunate lump under the covers moves back and forth, making a right meal of finding his/her way out. Eventually, he/she will emerge, feigning embarrassment while smiling and waving to the now almost hyperventilating fans, his/her moment in Wimbledon folklore assured and an amusing story ready for future grandchildren. Meanwhile, La Barker will chuckle into her microphone and remind us all that we shouldn't laugh, really, as it could be very dangerous, actually.

You can almost set your watch by it. :-)