Wimbledon

Wimbledon isn’t too far from our place so I decided to go and check it out.  I signed up for a tour of the grounds and that included entrance into their museum.  I hopped on a couple of buses and made it there in about an hour.

My tour group was small which was nice and our tour guide was very informative.  We started out by going to No. 1 Court, which is a pretty big stadium style court.  We learned about how they maintain the grass since it’s a lawn tennis complex.  Pretty meticulous!

Next we walked up to the famous hill where fans often sit and try to get a glimpse inside the stadium or just watch it on the screens when they have the Championships at Wimbledon.  You got a good view of all the different courts. 

We then walked into the press area and saw where the various media work.  They have lots of TV screens, desks, and statistics based on the games.  It seems like a lot of work they do on what seems like a simple game!

We stopped in the press conference soundproof room where they give post game interviews.  I got to sit in the chair that the winner sits in for an interview!

Last we stopped at Centre Court, which is the main court where the finals are played.  I made sure not to get too close since the court is guarded by an electric fence!  The scores were still up from last years Championships.

I then went and spent some time in the museum.  I’m not that big into tennis but it was interesting to learn about how the sport came to be and how it’s such a big deal over here.  I learned Strawberries, Cream and Champagne are a must around a tennis match!

I’m glad I went on the tour and saw the famous Wimbledon Club.  Another feature about Wimbledon is that you must be dressed from head to toe in white to play there.  It’s an elite club for members only as well.  We saw a couple of members headed into the locker room to play a match.

They Olympics will also be held there this summer so overall it was a good day tour!