ONE thing I won’t miss about Wimbledon is the air punching. As with most sports, this has crept into tennis, and is now present in virtually every match.

I first noticed it a couple of years ago when watching the men, but now women too clench their fists and punch the air, often shouting “YES!” in an aggressive manner.

I hate these aggressive displays of prowess. Were I a sporting hero, excelling in a certain field, I can say with complete honesty that I would never, ever punch the air with my fist. Even if I were I to beat a world champion into the ground, I still wouldn’t raise my arm and yell into the air.

Not surprisingly, it started with football and has now progressed to most sports. It has got so bad that I wouldn’t be surprised to see domino players down the local pub rise up and beat the atmosphere when they use up all their tiles.

But that’s not the worst of it. I’ve seen young children in our local park punching the air and screaming when they score a goal. They are no doubt encouraged by their parents, who are more than than likely air punchers themselves. Dad probably does it in front of the telly when United score, and mum rises up when she gets a question right on Million Pound Drop.

This may seem a trivial thing to moan about, but vicious air punching reflects a wider trend to be loud and aggressive in all walks of life. Civility and modesty seem to have been left behind as people let rip at every opportunity.

It’s not just to celebrate an individual’s own achievements – that’s bad enough – it’s also to berate others for their shortcomings.

If you annoy another motorist while driving, more often than not you’re met with fists in the air and fingers to the sky, as well as a string of verbal obscenities. It’s the same off-road. I accidentally bumped into a woman in the post office the other day and immediately said “sorry”. Yet she spun round, shouted “Watch it!” and glared at me as if I’d punched her in the face.

I don’t know why people have to behave in such a manner. We are surrounded by messages telling us to ‘keep calm’ but we’re all so wired up, that the slightest thing will cause an explosion.

We should all take a step back, and, as my daughters say, “chill.” And to further the cause, air punching should be banned from all sports but boxing.