Is it just me, or does tennis make everyone feel a little… frisky? There was definitely something in the Pimm’s at Wimbledon. On Saturday, Anya Taylor-Joy was papped making out non-stop with her husband Malcom McRae, while mum-to-be Margot Robbie actually licked her husband Tom Ackerley’s nose at one point. And it’s far from the first time the All England Lawn Tennis Club has been the scene of some A-list snogging.
Last summer, we had Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom, Romeo Beckham and Mia Regan, and Cara Delevingne and Minke all playing tonsil tennis in the Royal Box. It’s also served as the location for some memorable relationship hard-launches: in 2022, Alexa Chung was spied kissing Tom Sturridge while sitting one row behind his ex, Sienna Miller, while in 2021, the surprise couple of that summer, Phoebe Dynevor and Pete Davidson, made their love official. The love-in isn’t confined to Wimbledon, either, with Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet also confirming their romance by canoodling at the US Open in 2023.
This air of transgression extends to mere mortals, too, with The Telegraph reporting in 2023 that the “Quiet Room”—an area at the All England Lawn Tennis Club with booths fitted with arm chairs and signs that can be flipped to say “occupied”—was being used for highly unofficial sporting action. Locals have also complained of people having sex in tents while camping on Wimbledon Common ahead of the Queue opening, with some putting up signs saying, “Game, Sex and Match… NO THANKS. Anti-social behaviour such as drugs, booze and sex parties will not be tolerated. Police patrol this area regularly and you have been warned. Thanks for your consideration. Enjoy the tennis!”
It’s certainly not what you’d expect from spectators at one of sport’s most refined and rule-bound games. After all, it’s the only sport where the crowd must sit in silence during play, and when you aren’t allowed to move from your seat until the end of a game, a bit like you’re in the theater. At Wimbledon, there’s also a dress code in place (no torn jeans, please) and a degree of gentility surrounding everything from the snacks (strawberries and cream) to the Queue (with a capital Q). It even extends to the players, who must wear entirely white uniforms.
So why the naughtiness? “It’s the clash of the two personalities that makes it sexy,” shares Nina Parker, chef and avid tennis fan. “There is a lot to be said for the big four rivalry of Murray, Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer. The battles they have fought over the last 20 years together have made the sport more exciting.”
