Welcome to the south-east of England. Home to UK’s invigorating and touristic landmarks. Countless locations to pick from, but one which stands out to me, and unsurprisingly many tennis fans. One of which I hope to spend my future. It is the Wimbledon championships, being a location of excitement and beauty it intrigues in many ways. We went for a tour in and around Wimbledon. So, we began the journey in the London underground.
Good old London
We all know London and it’s magnificence. It’s flooded with attractions, beautiful landscapes and the distinctive, towering structures. However, one feature making London exceptional is the London underground. 11 lines, 270 stations with one being Wimbledon itself. With this, south-east England becomes very accessible. Not only that the service of the magnificent trains are instantaneous. Missed a train? Well, before you even know it another one zooms right in front of you. Therefore, within less than 1 hour and 30 minutes, we arrived at Wimbledon. However, people living around London are at the upper hand considering the distance.
A slight glimpse
As we approached the location I could see the hidden wonder behind the shadows of the trees almost making it camouflage. Tranquillity became my friend as we stepped into the grounds. I was incredibly astounded by this and just started to imagine how lively it would be when the season of the Wimbledon grand slam begins.
A green beauty
As I got myself a 360° view, green highlighted my vision. Even the structure of the indoor courts was blanketed with a sheet of grass on the outside making Wimbledon seem much unique to any other grand slam. I can bet any person that had been to the Wimbledon championships that they won’t forget the word ‘green’.
A contrast of new and old
Everywhere I looked there was something that made this location unlike any other. With the grassy original structures, you get a distinct sense that it seemed somewhat wise and aged. Alternatively, the interiors of the structures contrasted with the elder look as it looked predominantly modern.
In the eyes of the players
During the tour, our tour guide mentions where the players go after the match. Generally, they have to attend the Wimbledon press conference if asked or they’d be fined. This surprised me as I would have thought that players had a choice of attending or not. Interestingly, after the defeat of Venus and Serena Williams in doubles of Wimbledon 2010, they were each fined around $4000 as they didn’t attend a post-press conference organised by the tournament.
The fresh, green grassy courts
As we were led throughout all courts my excitement raced to its limits. Especially, when we arrived at the centre court. Centre court; what a magnificent structure holding many endless unforgettable memories? The entire experience of just capturing various angles of the eyes of spectators was both astounding and charming. And imagining the Wimbledon finals with a crowd of 14,979 roaring in passion between points just left me with goosebumps. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get to step or go anywhere near the grass because they have to keep it under intense maintenance for the championships.
A bit of history
Wimbledon was founded in 1877, and at the time was the first and oldest tournament with only outdoor grass courts. Later, indoor courts were also added including the centre court in which a retractable roof worth almost £100 million was inserted. The capacity of the court is 14,979 along with its partnering court No.1 with a capacity of 12,345.
9 years ago something special happened on court 18 in Wimbledon. It was when John Isner encountered Nicholas Mahut in round 1. A match that lasted 11 hours and 5 minutes was played over the course of three days. The score ended as 6–4, 3–6, 6–7(7–9), 7–6(7–3), 70–68 to John Isner. Ever since, it became the longest match known to tennis history to date.
A museum of tennis
During any time before or after the tour, you can go visit the museum consisting of tennis’ magnificent history. Just after visiting this museum I’d come out with a completely different perspective of the old days of tennis. Did you know, that a staggering 166,055 servings of strawberries and cream were eaten during Wimbledon 2018? Many interesting facts like this are filled around the museum. Most of which are completely unbelievable and unknown (at least for me).
Wimbledon. One of four thrilling grand slams, capped with both the intensity of adrenaline when watching incredible matches like the commonly known Federer vs Nadal of 2008. And also the astounding hidden secrets of tennis history. It’s a location like none other with its originality that makes it special.
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