Origin Story · Wimbledon 2001
Why we're called People's Monday
Centre Court · Wimbledon 2001
The moment it became real.
Rain pushed the final back, day after day. When Goran Ivanišević finally walked out to face Patrick Rafter, it was Monday — only the fourth time in Wimbledon's history a final had been played that day.
"Ivanišević — the wildcard, ranked 125th, who had already lost three Wimbledon finals — walked out onto Centre Court and did something nobody expected."
He won. His first Grand Slam title, after three heartbreaks on that same court.
The regular crowd wasn't there. Centre Court reopened to whoever queued for it. Regular people, not the usual names.
That is People's Monday. The name comes from that day — the day sport belonged to the people.