When I walked onto the grounds of Wimbledon for the first time, I immediately thought of another place: Augusta National.
It was the green. I was struck by the familiar shade that permeates both facilities. Wimbledon green isn’t exactly the same as Augusta National green, but it is close enough to signify the tie between these two iconic venues.
What Augusta National is to golf, Wimbledon is to tennis. Indeed, upon entering the gates of Wimbledon, I felt a similar sensation to what I’d felt on my initial trip to the fabled golf course in 1997 to cover the Masters for the Tribune.
There is that unmistakable sense of awe and reverence. You just know you are at that sport’s epicenter, a truly special place.
I can’t say I am a huge tennis fan, but the battles between John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg in the early ’80s hooked me on Wimbledon. It had been a bucket-list item for me ever since.
It took a few years, but I finally made it to the All England Lawn Tennis Club, aka Wimbledon, last summer. The venue is about 8 miles southwest of central London. We took a 45-minute ride on the Tube and walked 20 minutes to the facility (taking public transportation is highly recommended). All in all, getting there was fairly painless.
We went on a Thursday during the first week of the two-week tournament, which is July 2-15 this year. It is a good time to go if you are interested in a seeing a high volume of tennis with plenty of players still in the field. There is considerable action with second-round matches taking place on the many courts that comprise the Wimbledon complex.
In fact, there are several courts that allow you to get really close with limited ground-level seating and standing options. Naturally, the big-name players aren’t going to be playing there, but being just a few feet away provides a wonderful perspective on the immense talents of these world-class players. You can feel the power of their games, not to mention the intensity required to advance in such an elite tournament.
Of course, Centre Court is the ultimate destination at Wimbledon. From the outside, Centre Court looks much bigger than I had imagined. The scale is enhanced by a retractable roof installed to deal with England’s unpredictable weather.
However, once inside, Centre Court feels smaller than the listed capacity of nearly 15,000 seats. It actually seems somewhat intimate. There is a powerful sense of history in watching a match on the grass court where the greats recorded their biggest victories. It’s like pointing to home plate at Wrigley Field and saying that is where Babe Ruth “called his shot” in the 1932 World Series. There aren’t many places like that anymore in sports.
Alas, there was no royalty in the 74-seat Royal Box on this day, but we were thrilled to see Roger Federer in a second-round match. Arguably the greatest ever, Federer, who would go on to win his record eighth Wimbledon title, thoroughly dissected Serbian Dusan Lajovic. Seeing Federer up close makes you truly appreciate his trademark precision — an ability to place the ball anywhere on the court. It proved to be our chance to see history at Centre Court.
It also was interesting to note that while the fans were pulling for Federer, they also gave Lajovic his due on good shots. Above everything else, there is a respect for seeing exceptional tennis at Wimbledon.
Fortunately, we were able to use a connection to purchase tickets for our day at Wimbledon. As you would expect, it is difficult to gain access to the grounds during the Grand Slam. But it’s more doable than getting a spot at the Masters at Augusta National, where it pretty much takes shelling out a few thousand dollars to a scalper if you don’t know somebody.
Ticketmaster sells a limited number of tickets online the day before play, but they sell out in minutes. Hospitality packages that include overnight accommodations and tickets are offered by Wimbledon Experience. As you would expect, these packages can be pricey. Expect to spend a minimum of $1,000 for a package that includes a Centre Court seat.
You can also buy Wimbledon tickets via a lottery held months before the tournament, which is how most Centre Court, No. 1 Court and No. 2 Court tickets are sold. You’ll need some substantial luck since demand is quite high. (The lottery for this year’s Championships opened Sept. 1 and closed Dec. 31.)
If you have a lot of patience, another way to potentially land tickets is to engage in Britain’s unofficial sport of queuing, or lining up. Each day, Wimbledon allots for public sale a few hundred premium-play tickets for Centre Court (except the last four days), No. 1 Court and No. 2 Court on a first-come, first-served basis. Many hopefuls arrive the evening before to pitch tents near the club and camp overnight to boost their odds of getting in.
Also, several thousand grounds passes are available each day, allowing use of unreserved seating and standing room on Courts No. 3-18. For those passes, it’s recommended to arrive a few hours before the grounds open at 10:30 a.m.
Keep in mind that if you aren’t in London during tournament weeks, you still can get a feel for Wimbledon. Again, this is different from Augusta National, which only opens its doors to the public one week a year, during the Masters. Wimbledon has a nice museum in the club that includes a virtual-reality experience. There also is a 90-minute tour of the grounds that lets you walk through the same doors as the players for a match on Centre Court.
Tradition abounds at Wimbledon, even down to the food. We had the signature strawberries and cream, made up of 10 strawberries … and cream. Good, but hardly spectacular.
We indulged a bit more on another Wimbledon staple: a cup of Pimm’s, an herbal English liqueur mixed with lemonade and refreshing fruit. It sounds harmless, but be careful; Pimm’s can pack quite a punch. Drink one too many, and it’s game, set, match.
Ed Sherman is a freelance writer.
