Wimbledon 2022: Taddes tennis, Serena's fleet, Richard's book shop - a small, also subjective review
The 2022 Wimbledon tournament is almost over - what sticks? some. A few impressions.
by Florian Goosmann from Wimbledon
last edit: Jul 10, 2022, 12:01 pm
As a reporter on site, you often feel underdressed. It's up to you, of course, but it's also up to the rest of the audience. Because only a fraction comes in via the queue, there are maybe around 10,000 viewers per day out of a good 40,000. Most of them can be seen on "Henman Hill" or in queues in front of the few grandstands on the outdoor seats. The rest is provided by the high society of London, of course in fine thread.
*****
Especially on Center Court and Court 1, the vast majority is occupied by the fine gentlemen. As I said, you can tell by the clothes. But also from popping noises during the rally when a bottle of champagne has just been opened. We don't know, but the assumption is obvious: It wasn't cheaper.
*****
Pimm's isn't cheap either, and it caters to both the fine gentlemen and the rank and file. A cup costs just under £9.75, but the lines are still long.
*****
By the way, the queue was less crowded than usual. Normally you should line up around 5 or 6 a.m. at the latest to get at least a ground ticket and be on the facility by 11 a.m. This time there would probably have been an hour's sleep more. Was it due to caution about Corona or because crowd favorites like Roger Federer, Andy Murray or Serena Williams were not there or were eliminated early? For tickets on Center Court and Court 1 you still had to leave earlier - or actually bring a tent.
*****
By the way, the facility here is nice, no wonder. keep full It may change in a few years when Wimbledon expands - then the golf course across the street should also be part of the tournament.
*****
Speaking of Serena. On "Middle Sunday" the 100th anniversary of the Center Court took place, the great legends were all there, even Roger Federer came over. Among the missing: Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf (all of them live very withdrawn), Boris Becker (currently lives withdrawn) and Martina Navratilova (was ill with Corona). And: Serena Williams. What was surprising, she had finally played. The reason, as the British Times wanted to find out: Serena asked for the five shuttles for herself and her for two weeks (normal is one, maximum two shuttles up to 24 hours after leaving the tournament). Apparently the All England Club didn't go along with it. Serena went to the Rolling Stones concert in Hyde Park instead of the party.
*****
Oh yes, you can take a look at the celebration.
SkyWimbledon2022Article
*****
Wimbledon, you have to give him that, is completely in tennis fever. You experience that in and outside of the shops, especially in "Wimbledon Village". Almost all the shops are tennis-themed, in the typical Wimbledon colors (green, purple), with balls and rackets. And across the board, sometimes it is hard to tell which business has which vocation - from the brokerage office to the clothes shop or dog grooming salon.
#IMG2#
*****
What always inspires in London: the friendliness. Both the Wimbledon staff and the rest of the people. Keeping the door open has top priority here, even if the next interested party is barely in sight to pass through.
*****
Time for tennis. The match of the tournament, it was maybe even from an objective point of view between Tatjana Maria and Jule Niemeier. Both in the quarterfinals of a major for the first time, and both with an extremely wonderfully variable tennis game . The two appeared at the net 119 times (!), and there was a lot of slice, stops and praise. Gorgeous to look at. And the standing ovations from the spectators on Court 1 spoke for themselves. You should also take a look at the highlights.
*****
Keyword fair play, that was also the case between Tatjana Maria and "Aunt" Ons Jabeur. And maybe your colleagues Kyrgios and Tsitsipas happened to be watching!? It's a shame that this match got stuck mainly because of their disputes and Tsitsipas' desperation . Because that was great tennis too!
*****
Jabeur is such a huge asset to tennis anyway. The press conferences with her? Are highly amusing. In Tunisia, she is referred to as the "Minister of Happiness," and that's also funny, she said, because that's why the current prime minister addresses her with "Hello, Minister." Jabeur's reaction after the media commitments after the lost final was also great: she simply walked down the stairs to thank her fans and signed autographs.
*****
Always worth a visit: The "Tennis Gallery Wimbledon", around 20 minutes' walk from the facility. It's THE tennis bookstore ever, inconspicuous from the outside, but rather small on the inside. But if you ask Richard Jones, the great owner, you can go upstairs to the "chaos". Ancient books, old books, extremely old books, old and middle-aged tournament magazines, old magazines, old postcards and even more old books. And if you replace "old" with "historical", the tennis heart beats really hard. It is quite possible that a tennisnet reporter has happily expanded his Anna Kournikova collection these days. By the way, Richard also sends mail, have a look at www.tennisgallerywimbledon.com !
wimmap