I was an American evangelical "missionary to the UK" in the mid-1970s.
Just after marrying my British wife, we spent the weekend at Wimbledon in the early 1980s, with a generic grounds pass, so we were just wandering around between courts, without actually seeing any tennis.
EXCEPT when McEnroe threw a tantrum on court, and a pissed Ivan Lendl hit a ball out of Center Court, and it landed on top of my camera case. This is 100% true. People around me couldn't believe it!! (Update: I became an atheist at the age of 62, because the evidence was overwhelming!)
I was a USPTA tennis pro for more than 10 years and watched every point of every major for 15 years and think Lendl was the first power hitter to come along. Boris could hit it but he was a server and volley guy. McEnroe could barely hit a topspin backhand. Fun stuff back then and stopped watching a lot when Seles and the screechers came along.
It’s unfair that the women have to play best of three sets. A terrible disadvantage. Everyone should play best of three until the quarterfinals, and then everyone should play best of five. If the men were playing best of three, the results would be quite different.
Thanks for the interesting and diverse insights. When I was growing up in South Africa, I admit that I was a Wimbledon tragic. Since moving to Australia, the time difference makes it a little more difficult.
No mention of Djoker not practicing- suggestive of injury from fall at match point vs Cobolli. No mention of Anisimiva 8 month mental health break No mention of how many much baseline play dominates as W gets slower. No mention of heat possibly favoring younger men’s finalist.
This is quite an American take on Wimbledon! In reality not everything is a cute-sy influencer Hugh Grant film backdrop. You can wang on about strawberries all you like but that’s not really what is being consumed if you actually wander around the grounds.
Setting aside the tennis and perfectly organised day out itself (it’s wonderful, I went on Monday and cheered on de Minaur as he almost beat Djokovic) the tennis championship is a fascinating and incredibly effectively run money making machine that thrives on selling a version of Olde Englande to global audiences, especially in North America.
They rinse the corporate clients and win the PR battle by still enabling people to queue up and walk in an affordable price
The most intriguing bits are the politics of the Royal Box. If you want to know the modern British establishment you just look at the guest list. They never forget to invite newspaper editors, ensuring lots of coverage. And if you want to know who is ranking where in that establishment, see who gets a seat for the First Monday and who gets a seat for the men’s final.
As an American who lived in south London and also in W. Sussex (Bognor) for nearly 20 years, I have to agree with you. There is sooo much more than tennis going on in those ivy-covered stands and on the court.
I went and joined the queue at Wimbledon in 2017. Camped in a field overnight and temps dropped to 50F. Not a lick of sleep but when the lines formed in the morning and I got tickets to court 1, I was in tennis heaven for 9 hours. One of the best days of my life. The grassy greens are majestic. Strawberry cream was great. Wide brim hat highly recommended!!
As a poor American who got a "general admission" with no seats in any matches, I'm happy that you actually got to view a game. Well done. Wimbledon is a special experience, whatever a person can afford!!
I too was a poor American when I joined the queue! I believe I paid 57 euros to get in for the day and watch the matches. I loved the economical pricing and how if you’re willing to wait, you can watch tennis. I saw djokovic play on court 1, the people who were there for Federer camped for 2 nights to get centre court tickets!! I person had flown all the way from Argentina to see Federer!!
Bonk Bonk oh the joys of Wimbledon, the prestige it evokes to both participants and onlookers is not found in any other tennis tournament. Everything about Wimbledon is class with a capital C. The atmosphere instills in those attending a feeling of awe, anticipation and invokes memories of days gone by when respect, and a sense of decency were more prevalent in our lives. Hail to the green and purple!
I wish DJ can go ahead and get his elusive #25 Grand Slam Title. But, it looked liked he hurt himself. That will not help him against SINNER THE CHEATER!!!
So, how many of you noticed the tv coverage graphics intentionally removed the Russian flag from those players, while displaying the US/ british flags for the players representing the two countries most responsible for engineering and supporting a blatant and horrifically cruel holocaust against the Palestinian people?????? This is one of the best examples of childishness, pettiness, Fascist, and murderous displays of despicable behavior from a collapsing nation that still pretends (and laughably still thinks) to be a colonialist, white supremacist empire.
So what exactly is childish about calling out a blatantly Fascist/racist regime, who spends more money murdering children than taking care of its own people? Or, imprisoning 83 year old british citizens for doing the same?
these blatant acts of holocaust and anti-russia phobia, and the wimbelton obvious complicity in both, deserve to be called out for the fascist lies they are, no matter the context.
I don't know, not so laughable, they still seem to manage a good deal of murder, mayhem and chaos by working the levers well behind the stage, anonymously.
I wouldn't be surprised if the controlled demolition of the West and the global economy were primarily brainstormed by these demons.
There's a great article in The Economist that reveals that Wimbledon would save themselves a lot of time and trouble by converting the "grass" courts to astro-turf.
Why doesn’t anyone address the truth of the Women’s matches-they are boring and it’s not about the quality of shot making but about who makes less mistakes. It’s a poor product relative to the Men’s game. If we want better Women’s tennis we should ask for it instead of lying and saying things (to the winner) like it was a special game-let’s be honest and talk about all the unforced errors. It was certainly not special. Just re-watch the women’s French Open-pathetic. Let’s root for excellence, not mediocrity.
I’m not mad at these tennis updates! 😍🎾
I was an American evangelical "missionary to the UK" in the mid-1970s.
Just after marrying my British wife, we spent the weekend at Wimbledon in the early 1980s, with a generic grounds pass, so we were just wandering around between courts, without actually seeing any tennis.
EXCEPT when McEnroe threw a tantrum on court, and a pissed Ivan Lendl hit a ball out of Center Court, and it landed on top of my camera case. This is 100% true. People around me couldn't believe it!! (Update: I became an atheist at the age of 62, because the evidence was overwhelming!)
I was a USPTA tennis pro for more than 10 years and watched every point of every major for 15 years and think Lendl was the first power hitter to come along. Boris could hit it but he was a server and volley guy. McEnroe could barely hit a topspin backhand. Fun stuff back then and stopped watching a lot when Seles and the screechers came along.
It’s unfair that the women have to play best of three sets. A terrible disadvantage. Everyone should play best of three until the quarterfinals, and then everyone should play best of five. If the men were playing best of three, the results would be quite different.
Thanks for the interesting and diverse insights. When I was growing up in South Africa, I admit that I was a Wimbledon tragic. Since moving to Australia, the time difference makes it a little more difficult.
Love this history.
I'm a huge tennis fan.
Been to Australian Open a few times (I'm an Aussie!) and it is wonderful but Wimbledon is top of my bucket list.
Thank you for this article.
I'm excited for all of them.
No mention of Djoker not practicing- suggestive of injury from fall at match point vs Cobolli. No mention of Anisimiva 8 month mental health break No mention of how many much baseline play dominates as W gets slower. No mention of heat possibly favoring younger men’s finalist.
This is quite an American take on Wimbledon! In reality not everything is a cute-sy influencer Hugh Grant film backdrop. You can wang on about strawberries all you like but that’s not really what is being consumed if you actually wander around the grounds.
Setting aside the tennis and perfectly organised day out itself (it’s wonderful, I went on Monday and cheered on de Minaur as he almost beat Djokovic) the tennis championship is a fascinating and incredibly effectively run money making machine that thrives on selling a version of Olde Englande to global audiences, especially in North America.
They rinse the corporate clients and win the PR battle by still enabling people to queue up and walk in an affordable price
The most intriguing bits are the politics of the Royal Box. If you want to know the modern British establishment you just look at the guest list. They never forget to invite newspaper editors, ensuring lots of coverage. And if you want to know who is ranking where in that establishment, see who gets a seat for the First Monday and who gets a seat for the men’s final.
As an American who lived in south London and also in W. Sussex (Bognor) for nearly 20 years, I have to agree with you. There is sooo much more than tennis going on in those ivy-covered stands and on the court.
I went and joined the queue at Wimbledon in 2017. Camped in a field overnight and temps dropped to 50F. Not a lick of sleep but when the lines formed in the morning and I got tickets to court 1, I was in tennis heaven for 9 hours. One of the best days of my life. The grassy greens are majestic. Strawberry cream was great. Wide brim hat highly recommended!!
Fantastic.
As a poor American who got a "general admission" with no seats in any matches, I'm happy that you actually got to view a game. Well done. Wimbledon is a special experience, whatever a person can afford!!
I too was a poor American when I joined the queue! I believe I paid 57 euros to get in for the day and watch the matches. I loved the economical pricing and how if you’re willing to wait, you can watch tennis. I saw djokovic play on court 1, the people who were there for Federer camped for 2 nights to get centre court tickets!! I person had flown all the way from Argentina to see Federer!!
Bonk Bonk oh the joys of Wimbledon, the prestige it evokes to both participants and onlookers is not found in any other tennis tournament. Everything about Wimbledon is class with a capital C. The atmosphere instills in those attending a feeling of awe, anticipation and invokes memories of days gone by when respect, and a sense of decency were more prevalent in our lives. Hail to the green and purple!
That was nice. A little history, a little local color, a little who-to-watch. Coming again tomorrow??
I wish DJ can go ahead and get his elusive #25 Grand Slam Title. But, it looked liked he hurt himself. That will not help him against SINNER THE CHEATER!!!
So, how many of you noticed the tv coverage graphics intentionally removed the Russian flag from those players, while displaying the US/ british flags for the players representing the two countries most responsible for engineering and supporting a blatant and horrifically cruel holocaust against the Palestinian people?????? This is one of the best examples of childishness, pettiness, Fascist, and murderous displays of despicable behavior from a collapsing nation that still pretends (and laughably still thinks) to be a colonialist, white supremacist empire.
Talk about a childish, petty, hot take!!!!
So what exactly is childish about calling out a blatantly Fascist/racist regime, who spends more money murdering children than taking care of its own people? Or, imprisoning 83 year old british citizens for doing the same?
It's a substack about tennis. Tennis. It's not a substack about Palestinians.
these blatant acts of holocaust and anti-russia phobia, and the wimbelton obvious complicity in both, deserve to be called out for the fascist lies they are, no matter the context.
I don't know, not so laughable, they still seem to manage a good deal of murder, mayhem and chaos by working the levers well behind the stage, anonymously.
I wouldn't be surprised if the controlled demolition of the West and the global economy were primarily brainstormed by these demons.
There's a great article in The Economist that reveals that Wimbledon would save themselves a lot of time and trouble by converting the "grass" courts to astro-turf.
It just wouldn’t be the same though!! It’s tradition.
There was a great mixed doubles maych as well. Those always
get forgotten, but they are also great tennis.
Why doesn’t anyone address the truth of the Women’s matches-they are boring and it’s not about the quality of shot making but about who makes less mistakes. It’s a poor product relative to the Men’s game. If we want better Women’s tennis we should ask for it instead of lying and saying things (to the winner) like it was a special game-let’s be honest and talk about all the unforced errors. It was certainly not special. Just re-watch the women’s French Open-pathetic. Let’s root for excellence, not mediocrity.