Wimbledon
As the first week of Wimbledon ends and the second is now underway, and the hype around the tournament is palpable in London. I want to reflect on my experience and some tips as there are definitely some questions around attending the Championships.
Wimbledon is an amazing experience for tennis fans, or even those just wanting to partake in a little bit of tradition. Therefore, if anyone asks me if it is worth attending, my answer is a very strong YES. I have gone the past three years, multiple times each year, so I have collected a mix of experiences!
Firstly, Wimbledon is a beautiful club located in South West London. With its perfectly green manicured grounds, and abundant hydrangeas lining the grounds, you will be in awe of the beauty. It is considerably cool to get the pass to walk around this club for a day. You almost feel as if you have been invited in by friends, as the people who are working there are often very proud of the tournament and the tradition and quite happy to have guests. Throw in a little fashion from THE Ralph Lauren, plus the players having an all-white attire dress code, and I am completely sold. Aesthetically speaking, this is my favorite grand slam. Additionally, the history of the stadium and the tradition is amazing. During the tournament you are even able to go to the museum (for free) if you want.
If you do or don’t have Centre court, court no 1 or 2 tickets, I would still join in the fun and sit on ‘The Hill” to watch a little bit of the big screens. It’s quite a fun atmosphere with a backdrop of central London just to the left! Due to the sun setting so late in London during the summer months, the tennis can carry on well into the early evening hours, so plan to spend the day. Honestly, just one day and I promise you will become a tennis fan if you aren’t already!
THINGS TO KNOW:
The Queue: If you are not lucky enough to get tickets via the ballot, an organization or American Express (there might be a few other ways) you will need to queue. Wimbledon does not sell tickets before the day of, therefore it does set an equal playing field for everyone wanting to attend, you must queue. People show up as early as the night before to secure their spot in the queue, but don’t let this scare you. If you are just hoping to get a grounds pass, usually the first 10,000 people will get entry, you just need to be willing to wait. People generally start lining up very early in the morning for this. When you arrive and get into the queue a steward will give you a queue card, marking your position in the queue. The length of the queue really varies each day. Some days people will arrive around 9 am and still get under 5,000 and sometimes you can arrive by 6am and be 7,000. Tickets start to be sold around 10 am and then play begins at 11 am. If you prepare for the queue by bringing a blanket to sit on, food, drink and maybe a book or playing cards, the time passes relatively quickly as some people are trying to make a bit of a celebration out of it. If you are not prepared, or don’t expect to be sitting for a couple of hours, this will drag on. If you are looking to get tickets to Centre court, count no 1 or 2 you will need to be in the first couple hundred people to arrive, or you can join a virtual queue once you are on the inside, which allows you to buy tickets as people leave for the day or give them back. This year, grounds passes are £30, which for an event such as this is amazing. Wimbledon does a really good job at making the event affordable for the public to participate.
Attire: Getting involved with the ‘Wimbledon Fashion’ is super fun! People definitely take this opportunity to do so, but do keep in mind you will be walking a ton, and likely standing to watch matches across the grounds, so think about your feet when you make your choices! People are dressed all sorts of ways when they are here, so feel free to do what you want! I would also consider either carrying and umbrella or some sort of waterproof jacket. It is not unheard of for it to be hot with blue skies and suddenly turn into a downpour. Learn from my mistakes this year of being ill prepared!
Food and Drink: Make sure you try a Pimm’s and a strawberries and cream! The signature drink at Wimbledon is definitely lovely on a hot July day, refreshing and fruity! I had never had Pimm’s before moving to London, it is definitely a unique taste, but worth giving it a go! Wimbledon does allow you to carry in your own food and drink if you want, just check their site for the actual guidance on this as there is a limit.
Getting there: If you are choosing to take the tube, your best bet is taking it to Southfields station, as Wimbledon is almost equally between two tube stations, but you would go past Southfields to get to the next one. Alternatively, there are cabs, Uber and buses, depending on where you are coming from.
For me, attending Wimbledon just once was on my bucket list while living in London, and now I have made it a yearly thing. I actually have started checking the dates for Wimbledon before booking trips around that time. Take lots of photos, drink lots of Pimm’s and see as much as you can, as the day goes by so quickly.
Is anyone heading to the Championships this year?
Xx Samantha
