Little Known Facts about Mrs. S.-W. (Design Test): A Dream

For those of you unfamiliar with Wimbledon, the only grand slam tennis tournament played on grass, here is a little primer:

• The All England Club, a private tennis club, hosts a 13-day tournament entitled Wimbledon each June.  128 male and female players from 60 countries compete on 19 tournament courts for the coveted titles.

• The tournament is named after the name of the small town outside of London on which the All England Club sits.

• Centre Court has a box reserved for royalty, and players used to be required to bow or curtsy to the royalty when they entered and exited the court.  Now it is optional, and is usually only done if the queen or Prince of Whales is in attendance.

• Wimbledon's most widely enjoyed sustenance is strawberries and cream, often accompanied by champagne.

• Unlike other tournaments, Wimbledon requires a stringent dress code for players which clearly favors clean, crisp, white attire.

Not surpringly, when thousands of tennis fans descend on a small city outside of London, hotel rooms are at a premium. Expect high prices and book very early.

A couple hints:

• Stay in central London where there are more accomodations.  The "underground run" gets to Wimbledon in 25 minutes
• Book a room in a nearby, quaint village and walk 5-12 minutes to Wimbledon.

Please click here to fill me in on a dream YOU have!

Andre Agassi beats Goran Ivanisevic to win his only Wimbledon title!

Nadal is SOO much better than Djokovic.  How could this happen?

Museum

• For ticket holders only during the tournament
• Open year-round for the public 
• Recommended that one prebooks due to immense popularity
• Can purchase a ticket for just the museum or the museum and a tour
• Prices for the museum are $18 for adults, $15 for students, seniors and the unemployed*, and $11 for children.  Add $10-$14 dollars if you also want the tour.

*The idea of discounting prices for the unemployed was an eye-opener.  And from a prestigious private club no less!  Makes me love Wimbledon even more!

Library (Yeah!! Now I want to go there even MORE)

• Not open during the tournament
• Open to the public daily, but by appointment only

Above Centre Court, where the players enter the stadium together, there is an inspirational quote from the poem entitled "If" by Rudyard Kipling:

"If you can meet with triumph and disaster and treat those two impostors just the same." 

Of couse, no pompous, private club would dare host an event for the public without copious amounts of "guidelines."  While there are the usual ones, like no cell phones on, and don't leave items unattended, there are some more unique guidelines as well, such as:

• Ground isn't level, don't wear heels or flip flops
• Be prepared for weather extremes
• Don't buy tickets from "touts" (scalpers), as they will not gain you entry to the club
• No support rails installed in stadiums, use caution
• No leaving during a tie break
• No noise during a rally
• No applauding a net cord or double fault (required to be a good sport!)
• No babies allowed
• No strong smelling food allowed on the show courts

Tickets may be obtained through the public ballot or the queue.

Public Ballot

• Instituted in 1924
• Must request ballot in writing between August 1 and December 15; takes two weeks to receive
• No ballots accepted after December 31
• Cannot request particular days or courts
• Computer randomly draws names of those who will be allowed to purchase tickets, including date, court, and seat numbers
• Only successful applicants are contacted via letter.  Drawing are held from February through the first week of the tournament in June.  Winners may submit payment

Queue

 Show court queue

• 500 tickets reserved each day for 3 show courts (Centre, #1, #2)
• Recommended that one arrives the night before to secure a place early enough in line to get them.  A free campground is on the club grouds, including 24/7 restroom facilities, security, and catering!!
• Prices range from $60-$145, depending on which court one chooses and which day one attends (prices increase as tournament progresses)
• No show Centre Court queue tickets are reserved for the last three days of the tournament (finals)

Grounds queue

• Thousands of tickets reserved each day for the other 16 tournament courts
• Recommended that one arrives around 9:30 A.M. the day of desired attendance
• Prices range from $23-$32, depending on whether attendance will be before or after 5 P.M. and which day one attends (prices decrease as tournament progresses)

***Grounds queue will be much more sought after when a British player (Andy Murray, Tim Henman [now retired] will be playing on a show court.  Brits will gather on a hill reserved for overflow equipped with a large screen television to watch their countryman attempt to advance to the next round.  This hill was first affectionately known as "Henman Hill", and now is referred to as "Mount Murray."  British people are so creative with their alliteration!!