Help in the rain: The weatherman at Wimbledon is a rubber duck

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Threatening dark clouds and drizzle – if you go to England, you need to pack your umbrella. The cloudy weather continues to cause problems at Wimbledon as well. Numerous matches have been postponed or cancelled. Also this year: the weather conditions thwarted the plans for the prestigious tournament. The first two days of play literally fell into the water. The timetable also had to be adjusted.

But this is nothing new at Wimbledon. While the drizzle of 1996 started to get on everyone’s nerves, British pop singer Cliff Richard, who was also present as a spectator at the time, couldn’t stand it anymore. He spontaneously descended onto the field and entertained the crowd with the song Singing in the Rain.

Meanwhile (since 2009) the central square has a roof over its head. Court No. 1 has been covered for four years. At least two tennis courts can be played on rainy days.

million investments

Millions have also been invested in high-tech weather forecasting equipment. The radar is so accurate that it can predict to within 100 meters which parts of the terrain will be affected by the rain. Meteorologists also use these tools to observe the approaching rain clouds in order to know early enough what precautions should be taken on the tennis courts.

But in addition to this expensive “toy”, there is another tool – a rubber duck. She sits on the edge of a pool of water worth five francs with a pirate hat on her head. A camera monitors whether, how many and how large drops of water fall into the pool. This way you can prepare in time for heavy rain showers.

John Quack Enroe

The yellow duck also has a name: John QuackEnroe. It is named after tennis legend John McEnroe (64). During his sporting career, the American won Wimbledon three times and the US Open four times. In addition to these successes, he is also known for his freaks on the track. Unforgettable is his argument with the referee at Wimbledon in 1981. McEnroe then shouted: “The ball was on the line. Everyone knows he was inside, the whole stadium – and you say he was outside? You can’t be serious!”

McEnroe is still ubiquitous at Wimbledon. Not only because of his successes and freaks. Also because of the rubber duck John QuackEnroe.

Source : Blick