Wimbledon

Went to Wimbledon for the 2nd time in a week. This time we only had to queue for an hour. We watched the last few games of Nadal’s semi-final match from Aorangi Terrace (aka Henman Hill) and decided to have a go at trying to get into Centre Court as there was a mixed doubles semi-finals match on afterwards.

Spectators from Centre Court and Court No. 1 who leave early are encouraged to post their tickets into collection boxes around the grounds. These are then re-sold for just £5 (with all the money going to charity) at the re-sale office at the top of Aorangi Terrace. The queue looked pretty long when we joined it, but within about 10 minutes we were at the front and jumping for joy at getting our Centre Court tickets.

It was so exciting being inside the court. We had a great position – just underneath the roof, so there was some shade from the sun. This will sound a little absurd, but it looks just like it does on TV! There are some sections that are reserved for members (of the LTA) only – they are the seats with cushions!

A very special day :)

Went for the first time today – a great experience (it helped that the weather was perfect – sunny, but not too hot). Queued for 3 hours to get a ground ticket (ie. access to courts 3-19) and got in just after 5pm.

Despite watching Wimbledon on TV for years, what I never realised was the amount of foot traffic around the complex – spectators are constantly on the move between courts, though generally they are only allowed to enter courts when players are changing ends to avoid disruption. Also surprising was the lack of rowdiness both on and off the courts. When the matches were being played, the crowds were quiet and I didn’t hear a single mobile phone ringtone go off!

I thought that it was really well organised. Everywhere is clearly signposted, and there are tons of stewards around to direct you or answer questions. And I loved the hanging baskets of white and purple flowers – great colour co-ordination :)

A very special moment for me was watching Andy Murray beginning his comeback in the third set. He was 2 sets to love 5-4 down and Gasquet was serving for the match. It was thrilling to be there on a jam-packed Aorangi Terrace with the crowd around us on tenterhooks as he clawed back vital points. When he won the set, hearing the roar of the Centre Court crowd live and the delight of the crowd around us was just wonderful. Onto the quarter finals against Nadal now!

have just checked the official website, and the 2008 dates are 23rd June to 6th July. Time to start doing some planning!

- take a day/afternoon off work, head down to SW19 with a picnic basket and a couple of mates, and see whether we can get into any of the outer courts. Failing that, just to soak up the atmosphere in the grounds!

Saw a five set thriller between Pioline and Becker..
Paid a fiver for a ticket someone had not had the time to get the best out of..
It’s almost like a cheap second hand ticket queue..
Epic.. in fact, the only thing was the strawberries & cream, which must be done, were more expensive!
Lots of history.. if you like your tennis..