Wimbledon

My family has watched tennis for years, and if you watch tennis, there’s really only one place you need to go: The All English Lawn Tennis Association, also know as Wimbledon. We (being myself, mum, dad and brother) tried to take a tour of Wimbledon in 2009, but it was unfortunately closed in order to fit the retractable roof. So, being in the UK for the tournament itself, there was no way I could pass up going. I didn’t get a ticket through the Ballot, but there is quintessentially British way to obtain a ticket on the day: The Queue. Most days there are tickets for all centre courts as well as ground passes, and prices vary. Because I didn’t want to take time off work, I went on the last Saturday of the tournament. This was one of the cheapest days to get a grounds pass for – mostly because there are very few courts outside one to four that are hosting games so very little tennis to see.

You can, if you’re lucky, spot a finalist warming up or practicing, which is what I hoped for when I went. Spoiler alert: I was very, very lucky. I saw not one, but both Men’s finalists, which also happened to be my favourite players – Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. I didn’t see that much tennis being played – although I also saw Sam Stosur warming up for her doubles final – but it truly didn’t matter. Having seen Djokovic and Federer so close, playing such suburb tennis, was a dream come true.