Photos by James Hilchen, Stadium Journey
In June 1999, three friends and I boarded a plane from the States to London. We had one plan on that trip: to take in the experience of attending the grand slam tennis event at the All-England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, better known simply as Wimbledon.
We attended four days of the event, mostly getting in the queue around 8 AM, which yielded us ground passes. We planned to get there extremely early one day, in hopes of getting Centre Court tickets to see Pete Sampras play. Arriving at the queue at about 3 AM (yes, there was already a long line that winded down the blocks surrounding the venue), we took our place in line, which happened to be on a metal plank that covered some very soggy ground.
I can’t recall what time the gates opened. Suffice it to say, we were in for quite a wait. When you are tired (and young), it’s amazing the things you do. We somehow managed to sleep for a few hours lying on said metal plank. Eventually, the gates opened and sadly, we weren’t in line early enough. Centre Court and Court 1 tickets were gone, and we ended up with Court Two tickets.
I’m not certain who played on court that day after Anna Kournikova kicked off the day’s play, but the lads and I were able to take position at the top of Court 2 and watched down on Court 3 as Jim Courier and Sjeng Schalken did battle for 4 hours and 24 minutes, a match eventually won by Courier.
Twenty-five years later I returned with a family I didn’t have the first time. This time, we weren’t there to see tennis being played, rather we took a tour of the hallowed grounds of Wimbledon. If you are a tennis fan, Wimbledon needs to be on your bucket list.
The tour began near Court 17 and our tour guide was a likable fellow who knew the grounds and all the great stories well. There are a few simple rules on the tour. Staying together is one. Rules 2, 3, 4, and 5, do not touch or walk on the grass.
After our initial stop at 17, we went to Court 1, which along with Centre Court are the two courts with retractable roofs for the wet British weather. The next stop was a new and pretty remarkable sculpture called The Serving Ace Tree. Sitting outside Court 1, the bronze tree has a trunk that shows a person serving. This has become a popular meeting place for folks during the event.
On the north side of Court 1 is a large grassy hill. Fans used to assemble there but it was nothing special for a while. Enter British tennis great, Tim Henman. Henman’s success spawned a throng of tennis fans that couldn’t get on Centre Court when he played. The fans assembled on the hill and Wimbledon put up a large screen for viewing the matches. Henman Hill was born. Over the years the name has changed to fit the current top British players (Rusedski Ridge, Murray Mound, Raducanu Rise, etc.). Whatever you call it, it’s a great place to relax and view the Centre Court action if you can’t get in.
Up next was the international broadcast Centre. Wherever you are in the world, if you are watching Wimbledon, this building is the hub of your broadcast. A trip to the roof yields a great view of the grounds including overlooking Court 18, which was having the grass replaced. Court 18 was the site of the longest match in tennis history. In 2010, John Isner defeated Nicolas Mahut in a match that went 11 hours and 5 minutes over three days. The final score set of 70-68 will never be seen again as Wimbledon now has tiebreakers in the 5th set.
The final stop on the grounds was Centre Court. Not much needs to be said about this court as it is likely the most heralded tennis court in the world. All the greats have passed through its doors and being a big tennis fan, it wasn’t lost on me that I was sitting where some of the greatest matches in the history of the sport were played. Side note, if you’ve ever wondered how many tennis balls it would take to fill Centre Court with the roof closed, it’s 290 million. You’re welcome!
Once the tour was over, a stop at the museum was in order. The museum is replete with the history of the grounds, including posters, rackets, trophies, clothing, etc. A stop at the museum was a great way to end the tour.
We had quite an enjoyable few hours. We learned a lot of facts and figures about the venue, how it started, and some of the extraordinary events that occurred on its grounds. The cost is very reasonable at 30 pounds for adults and 20 pounds for kids. The price includes admission to the museum. I’m told tickets are handled differently nowadays and sleeping on a plank isn’t necessary anymore. I’m too old to try that again anyway. If you can’t get to the event, a tour of Wimbledon is a great opportunity to see all there is to see and well worth your time.
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