Who is Melissa Johnson? All you need to know about the 1996 Wimbledon final streaker

The 1996 Wimbledon men's singles final was quite a dramatic one due to the involvement of a 23-year-old student named Melissa Johnson. Johnson, who was working as a caterer during the tournament, jumped a barrier and ran onto the court wearing just a maid's apron.

At the same time, the two finalists - 17th seed Richard Krajicek and unseeded American MaliVai Washington - were posing for their pre-match picture at the net. Johnson entered the court smiling and lifted her apron as she ran past the two competitors.

She went towards the royal box before being escorted away by security.

The incident amused spectators and is one that will not be forgotten in a hurry. The All-England club said that while they do not condone such practices, Johnson's little cameo did provide some amusement to all involved.

“Whilst we do not wish to condone the practice, it did at least provide some light amusement for our loyal and patient supporters, who have had a trying time during the recent bad weather,” they said.

As far as the match was concerned, Krajicek beat Washington 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 to win his only Grand Slam singles title. The Dutchman's triumph was the only instance between 1993 and 2000 that Pete Sampras did not win Wimbledon.

During the trophy ceremony, runner-up Washington made sure to include the streaking incident in his speech.

“I look over and see this streaker," the American said. "She lifted up the apron and she was smiling at me. I got flustered and three sets later I was gone; that was pretty funny."

"That was the highlight of the match" - MaliVai Washington on the Wimbledon final streaking incident

Washington said that the streaker's appearance was the highlight of the 1996 Wimbledon final

While speaking on the Tennis.com podcast last year, Washington said that Melissa Johnson running onto the court was the highlight of the 1996 Wimbledon final. He also joked that the incident caused him to lose focus, before admitting that Krajicek was the better player on the day.

"That was the highlight of the match! To some people, that was the highlight of the match," Washington said. "It was just one of those things, you know, you're out there and you're so focused. Then something like that happens. You start laughing, it's funny and I often wonder 'Did that throw me off'?' That might be an excuse but it just crossed my mind.

"But the thing that threw me off more than anything was going up against Richard Krajicek and him, always serving me off the court. He had beaten three-time defending champion (Pete) Sampras on the way to the final and he was just better than me that day," Washington added.