The name Wimbledon seems synonymous with green lawns, crisp whites, and the gentle sounds of tennis. Although Centre Court tickets, and many others, had sold out months before, we took our chances with the famous Wimbledon Queue on the day of the men’s quarter-finals.
All sorted for the wait with picnic rug and paper!
We arrived early, although not bright as it was a rather grey and chilly morning. When you enter the grounds you are given your official Queue Card. Apparently Wimbledon is one of the few tournaments where egalitarianism lives on and it is just as possible to get tickets to the big matches by camping out overnight as camping out online.
The rules are strict, but the tennis is worth it.
While we weren’t in that hardcore group, after only a couple of hours’ wait we were permitted to enter the hallowed ground for a nominal sum. All was green and leafy, and we treated ourselves to tea and scones before the courts officially opened at 11.
So many games!
Some day…
It was fantastic to wander around (almost) all the courts, and awesome to see some of the younger tennis stars competing – after all, they could well be the next Novac or Serena!
Soon we headed for Henman Hill to claim our spot in front of the big-screen for that afternoon’s big matches – Djokovic v Berdych, and of course Murray v Verdasco. We were lucky to have arrived relatively early, as space was at a premium, and later we witnessed well-dressed adults almost getting into shouting matches over whether a viewer was entitled to place their bag next to them, rather than on their knees…!
The crush on Henman Hill
Mmm delicious Pimms
Aside from that, we got to watch some brilliant tennis – Djokovic strolled past Berdych in the end, but Andy’s five-set battle with Verdasco had everyone on tenterhooks. Fortunately liberal application of Pimms helped ease some of the stress. The oohs and ahhs of the crowd, the cheers when points were won and groans when shots were missed made for a highly entertaining afternoon.
Some of the rowdier fans on Henman Hill
The main man in concentration mode
As the tennis fans will know, Andy went on to become the first male British winner of Wimbledon in 77 years – maybe next year we’ll watch him defend the title from the Centre Court!
