Game, Set, Match...Wimbledon!

I love having a morning class on Fridays because it gives me a free afternoon to do some exploring. This week's Friday adventure? A trip to Wimbledon!

Since I enjoy playing and watching tennis, I really wanted to take advantage of the fact that the town of Wimbledon is located only 9 tube stops away from where I'm living right now. Unfortunately, the 2011 Wimbledon Championships take place from June 30th to July 3rd, or while I am back in the United States. Luckily tours of the tennis facilities are given year round!

My tour guide was great. I'm pretty used to hearing English accents by now, but I thought it might be fun for you to have a listen. In this clip, the guide is talking about John McEnroe:

We started off by seeing the brackets for all the games. It was neat to trace the names of Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal all the way to the final matches.

The Grounds consists of 19 courts, the two most prominent ones being Centre Court and Court 1. Grass renovation for these courts begin way in advance: during August and September! It seems like an awful lot of work for courts that are only used for 2-3 weeks a year. We visited Court 1 first:

Situated right outside Court 1 is the Aorangi Terrace, where fans can watch the tournaments on a giant television screen. This grassy area was really pretty, decorated with beautiful flowers and a man-made stream. Also, it is situated high enough to give you a great view of the city of London.

Next we visited the court where the longest match in Wimbledon history was played. The Isner-Mahut match in 2010 took place over three days, requiring 11 hours and 5 minutes of play for a total of 183 games. Sheesh.

The guide allowed us to feel the grass of this court (although we were not allowed to walk on it). Very few people play tennis on grass courts, so it's definitely a unique attribute of Wimbledon.

What up grass?

I really enjoyed seeing the press offices. We visited the room where the post-championship interviews take place. Just last year, when the Queen made a rare appearance at the championships, she asked Nadal a question from one of these press seats.

Practicing for my post-win interview

The tennis club is an overall snazzy-looking place. It is a very elite society. Aspiring members must know several people in the club, turn in letters of recommendation, qualify for the candidates' list, and then wait. According to my tour guide, you basically have to wait until another club member passes away to make room for you.

Adding to this prestigious atmosphere, there is a Clubhouse area for the players to drink and eat and shmooze before, in-between, and after the matches.

The Clubhouse overlooks some of the other courts

Finally, we visited Centre Court, where the real magic takes place. Possibly the most famous tennis court in the world, it hosts the semi-finals and finals of the main events. The scoreboard still displays the score from the 2010 Berdych-Nadal match.

Our guide pointed out where the BBC and NBC press personnel sit, as well as where the seats for the players' coaches and family members are situated. Next to that area is the Royal Box, which is reserved for British royalty, visiting royal families, and other prominent figures.

Royal Box at Centre Court

The newest attribute of Centre Court is the expensive retractable roof, installed in 2009. It will prevent rain delays from interrupting championship matches.

The price of the tour included admission to the museum. It was certainly worth the money. It houses trophies, outfits, player memorabilia, and other historical items.

Old school tennis balls

Poster for the Wimbledon Championships

Rackets galore

Outfits worn by female tennis players in the old days

More modern-day tennis outfits

Steffi Graff's tennis shoes; Andre Agassi's racket

The 2010 singles champs

The Singles trophies!!

After exhausting the museum, I wandered around the suburbs of Wimbledon for a little while. The houses and stores were so charming and little, with more impressive mansions sprinkled here and there. Friday's weather was unbelievably nice--sunny and mid-60s--so this little field trip was a great way to spend my afternoon. Now when I watch the tennis tournaments this summer, I can say, "No big, I've been there." ;-)

Side note: Apparently Hugh Grant lives in my neighborhood, and several students on my program have spotted him frequenting a specific Starbucks cafe. I just happen to pass this Starbucks on my walk to work every day, so I always peek inside to see if I can catch this celeb getting his morning caffeine fix. No sighting yet. However, I'm pretty sure the employees are beginning to wonder about the crazy girl who spends two seconds walking into their store every morning without ever buying a drink...