Two men clamber on court after Seles match at Wimbledon

Associated PressWIMBLEDON, England (AP) -- Two spectators jumped from the stands onto Centre Court to play a mock game of tennis Thursday moments after Monica Seles had finished her match.

It was the first major security breach at Wimbledon this year and the most notorious since a streaker ran across the same court before the 1996 men's final.

Seles, who was stabbed on court in Hamburg, Germany, in 1993, was off the court at the time of Thursday's incident and said she was unaware anything had happened.

Police said the two men, dressed in all-white tennis outfits and carrying rackets, were on Centre Court for about 20 seconds and played a few shots.

They clambered back into the crowd, escaped from security and left the grounds, authorities said. No injuries or damage were reported.

John Jenkinson, a hotelier from Eversham, England, attending Thursday's matches, said he saw both go on the court.

"I guess I was surprised they were able to get down to the court and then hit a few balls, and then leave again," Jenkinson said. "Actually, most of the crowd thought it was in good fun. We are English, after all."

Britain's Press Association identified the two men as a "serial prankster," Karl Power, 33, of Manchester, and his friend, Tommy Dunn, 19.

Officials at the All England Lawn Tennis Club were furious, calling the men "show-offs" and saying they would review security details.

Last year, Power managed to join a photo of the Manchester United soccer team moments before a Champions League match against Bayern Munich in Germany. He was wearing United shorts and shirt.

Last August, Power donned full cricketing whites and ran toward the wickets at Headingley in Leeds during a Test match between England and Australia.

"The game needed a smile and we achieved that," Power told Press Association on Thursday. "We had a list of things, Manchester United, cricket, and now Wimbledon. We have completed the set."

Asked about security, Power said: "We just walked through."

Their appearance on Centre Court came after Seles beat Rossana Neffa-De Los Rios in straight sets to reach the third round. It came just before Britain's Tim Henman started his second-round match against Scott Draper.

"We treat this sort of thing very seriously," said a tournament spokesman, speaking on the customary condition of anonymity. "It was extremely irresponsible. We will obviously be reviewing security procedures with all the relevant authorities to ascertain what happened.

"It would be a shame if a few showoffs were to ruin the Wimbledon experience for all the other well-behaved tennis fans."

A spokesman for London's Metropolitan Police said there were no players on the court at the time of the incident.

"They had tickets further up in the stand and came down to the front and sat there for a while," said the spokesman, also under usual rules of anonymity. "They then went onto the court for about 20 seconds before heading back into the crowd, out of the court and ran off the premises."

Seles said she was not aware of the breach.

"I haven't seen it. I have no idea. I think that's the tournament's responsibility," she said.

Asked if she was happy with the security at Wimbledon, she replied: "Yes, I am."