Updated June 9, 2014
- What: The most important competitive event in grass tennis. All the highest ranked tennis players in the world compete.
- When: from the end of June to the first week of July. The dates change, depending on when the weekends fall, but its nickname, Wimbledon Fortnight, should give you an idea.
- Where: All England Lawn Tennis Club, Church Road, Wimbledon, London SW19 5AE
- Phone: + 44 (0) 20 8971 2473
- Admission: Tickets for the day at Center Court range from £ 50 for the first matches to £ 160 for the men’s final. Queuing tickets for admission to the grounds cost between £ 5 and £ 25, depending on the day and time of day. Center court tickets are not sold at the turnstiles during the last 4 days of play. Seeing Wimbledon has less to do with ticket prices and more to do with qualifying on the public ticket ballot to buy one or get into the daily queue early enough to score one of the tickets saved for the public. Learn more about getting a ticket to Wimbledon before traveling to the All England Club.
- Website
My first summer in England began the week two of America’s best male tennis players met in a Wimbledon men’s final on July 4. I wasn’t really a tennis fan back then, but it was impossible not to get caught up in the intense interest that gripped London. It was a hot day, so people had their windows open. My city’s neighborhood seemed empty, and through all those open windows, the only televised crash of tennis balls hitting tennis rackets, followed by polite applause, was the only sound in the streets.
Wimbledon is the crowning championship for the world’s best lawn tennis players and fans. In England, during the Wimbledon fortnight, it’s the only sport anyone talks about. The little Wimbledon cars that transport players around town, usually driven by young female LTA (Lawn Tennis Association) members who can’t believe their luck, are everywhere.
Unlike some of the other major social sporting events in England, the majority of Wimbledon tickets are reserved for the public competing on the Wimbledon ticket ticket for the right to purchase a couple of seats.
A limited number of tickets for the Center Courts and Courts 1 and 2 are reserved for sale to the public in all of the last four days except the last four games. Another 6,000 ground admission tickets are available every day. And all you have to do to get one of these is get them early and come rain or shine stand in line. These days, they’ve turned camping for an early spot in the ticket line into a more civilized affair, with a wake-up call, lavatory and laundry facilities, and even tea.
Read more about getting last minute tickets and camping for Wimbledon.
Traditions at Wimbledon
As the oldest lawn tennis tournament in the world (Wimbledon was founded in 1877), the event is tied to traditions on all sides, from what players and spectators wear to how they conduct themselves within the club. tennis and what they eat and drink.
If someone gives you a hat or tea shirt on the way to Wimbledon, better keep it in your bag. If such kamikaze advertising is displayed, you will be politely asked to hand it over. If you don’t, you may not be admitted.
To make sure you get it right, check out some Wimbledon Dos and Don’ts.
And, whatever you do while on the grounds of the All England Lawn Tennis Club in Wimbledon, don’t argue with Andy Murray.
Test your knowledge with this Wimbledon History Maze from About.com resident tennis expert Jeff Cooper.
