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Article snippet: Tradition is as much a part of the Wimbledon experience as the grass itself, from the predominantly white clothing rule to the strawberries and cream sold around the grounds of the All England Club. But when Wimbledon begins this week, mixed in with the cheers will be one thing the world’s leading tennis players do not appreciate quite so much: the Wimbledon groan. Urrrr. Low-pitched, almost tailing off at the end, it is a sigh of disappointment, of lost hope. Urrrr. Often after a double fault or a simple mistake, it can affect anyone but seems louder and clearer when a home player misses on an important point. “I hated that, I really hated that,” said Pat Cash, the Australian who won Wimbledon in 1987. “My sports psychologist actually worked with me on that. You make a mistake and everyone went urrrr.” Cash said he wanted to tell the crowd to shut up. “Do you think I meant to serve a double fault? Thanks very much for reinforcing that bad feeling,” he added. The groan is not unique to Wimbledon. But it is more obvious there because, in contrast to the United States Open, for example, it is much more common for the crowd to fall into silence before points begin. The grass muffles the sound of the ball bounce, too, so when the urrrr comes, it is inescapable. “I heard a lot of groans, a lot,” said Pam Shriver, the former top-ranked doubles player, who is now an analyst with ESPN. “It can be embarrassing, especially if it’s on Centre Court.” Shriver remembered her “... Link to the full article to read more