Flying Ants Invaded Wimbledon & It Was "Like A Horror Movie"

Apparently, Flying Ant Day is a real thing that people in the U.K. have to worry about every year. And, unfortunately, it's exactly what it sounds like: A day (or several) when swarms of flying ants fill the air and make it really gross to walk outside.

Flying Ant Day usually comes around at the end of July or early August, Metro reports, but the ants took to the sky a little early this year because the U.K. has had a lot more hot days than in previous years (dry heat is the perfect weather for ants to fly off and find a new mate).

It came so early this year, in fact, that swarms of ants caused a bit of chaos at Wimbledon, which started on June 25 and is set to end July 15. Videos from matches on July 5 show tennis players trying their best (and failing) to ignore the ants.

We can't blame them for being a little thrown off their game — tennis training doesn't exactly prepare you for hordes of insects flooding the air and grass.

"Never seen that before," said American tennis player Sam Querrey after his match, ESPN reports. "Luckily, it was 30 or 45 minutes. I don't know what it was, but they seemed to kind of go away after a while. If it got much worse, I almost wanted to stop because they were hitting you in the face when you were trying to hit balls. All over the place."

Even the BBC's tennis channel said the ant invasion was "like a horror movie."

Luckily for the tennis players — and those watching the tournament — it was just a temporary (albeit terrifying) setback. For people who live in the U.K., though, Flying Ant Day is a horror movie that comes back every year.