They are kings and queens of the court but a former Wimbledon racquet stringer has offered a sometimes damning behind-the-scenes glimpse of top tennis stars.
Liam Nolan worked at the prestigious All-England Club for two decades during which time he said he was subjected to the endless wrath of players who blamed string tension for their losses.
“They throw their weight around. If they lose a match, it’s never their lack of skill, it’s always the fault of the stringer. They vent their frustrations on those in the area,” Nolan told the International Business Times.
Recalling his interaction with individual players at the SW19 workshop where he toiled 13 hours a day, Nolan was not complimentary about American sisters Venus and Serena Williams.
“I didn’t like working with the Williams sisters: they’re very horrible people really. I remember we were raising some money for a kids’ hospice and we would have two t-shirts that we’d get all the players to sign and they were the only two who refused to sign it because they said they had not got enough time,” Nolan told The Times.
Now-retired Russian Anna Kournikova remained under the strict direction of her mother during a visit to Nolan.
“I said `how about I offer you a cup of tea of coffee?’ and her mum said `yes, a cup of tea would be lovely, but Anna will make the tea’. And Anna Kournikova was not impressed by this at all. She had to walk through where all the stringers were with a tray of teas.”
In addition to his racquet work, Nolan said he was approached by some players – including Novak Djokovic and Janko Tipsarevic – for advice on where to pick up women in London.