Fabulous Wimbledon Pics
Walker Joe has backpacked to Wimbledon seven times. I know what's necessary to get tickets and do it successfully. If you're going email me for head's up. I do hope you enjoy the pics.
AGASSI ON OLD COURT 1
McENROE ON COURT 2
AGASSI ENTERS CENTRE COURT
1992 - The Year He Won
Edberg on old court one. He's complaining about the condition of the grass.
JIM COURIER ON CENTRE COURT 1992
HE'S THE NUMBER ONE SEED
HE'S NUMBER ONE IN THE WORLD
AND HE LOSES TO A PLAYER RANKED 170 IN THE WORLD
I COULDN'T BELIEVE MY EYES
1989 My First Visit
IntroductionThese Wimbledon pics only partially represent the madness and pure joy the author
experienced during his seven backpacking visits to the 'Big W' .FABULOUS WIMBLEDON
Getting there is half the fun. Oh! Yeahhh!!
Five across...It's never been this way on Virgin Atlantic. I won't say what Airline, but it's made in America.
Londoners ride The UnderGround/Tube to Southsfield Station and catch the bus to Wimbledon. I'll show you that next. The One Day Travelcard cost $17 and you can go almost any place in London 'til 11pm. One day I rode the Tube for five hours for this price. You wouldn't believe the places I went.
All aboard for Paradise.
Somerset Road Queue - Everyone has packed up - We're waiting for the ticket gate to open
I’m trying to play smarter these days and enjoying some success. At sixty-nine, my mind has to make up for what my legs have forgotten. And having said that, my confidence is totally shaken, remembering my mind is slowly turning to mush. You know what they say. "Deception and cunning will win over youth and vigor every time." Believe it! And having said that, I'm mindful of a B-level tournament Old Fred
and I teamed up to play. We loss in the first round. We ran into two young A-level players who wanted to steal a trophy. Old Fred will
Relieved of the burdensome travel bag, I headed to the village circle where Marshall's Bakery stood.
I'd
noticed it earlier leaving Southfields. Hunger quickened my steps and shortly the inviting
smell
My first Grand Slam Tennis Match
The queue surged forward at half-past-ten and shouts of joy filled the air. Ten minutes later, I spent £26 ($44) for an unrestricted Centre Court ticket. It appeared to provide an ideal location, and I headed for Left Luggage.
After checking the green-sleeper, I found the Food Village in Aorangi Park and put away an order of fish 'n chips.
Since Centre Court action didn't start until 2pm, I headed for the outside courts where junior matches were happening.
Incidentally, the 20p (35 cents)
(1989) you pay for a parcel of left luggage is one of the best buys at Wimbledon, but please don't tell the Committee. The next best buy is a cushion for 60p. Your buns will love you for this extravagance.
Time marches on. It is now 1999. The price has doubled
Many fans were still wetting their whistle at
the Long Bar.
Yes! My kind of people.
For variety, I visited the outer courts and strolled the grounds, mingling with the International crowd and feeling inferior not having spent the time to become a linguist. Wimbledon is one of the most colorful and interesting spots in the universe this time of year.
I dropped by the Wimbledon Shop.
and purchased memorabilia and a tennis shirt for my boss's son, who plays…suck-up time. I enjoyed a few cool pints at 'Ye Olde' Long Bar, where I bumped into an Australian who coached. We enjoyed a lengthy discussion about the game, while consuming more pints than I care for Marjorie Lee to know about.The day was relaxed, except for the many frantic sprints to the WC for relief.
I Love This Place Even when it rains
I feel so unnecessary
This was around '90. The games haven't begun. I'm at the Long Bar, a place to get food and grog and coffee and tea. I'm thinking about the great seat on Centre Court I've earned sleeping in the Queue.
This was 1997. I'm 67. The rains came and came. I setup my new tent, but I couldn't hack it. At six AM I tossed rhe new tent in the garbage and left. The rains caused the second first Sunday of play in 106 years.I know. I was there.
The big screen is outside of Court 1
Pull up a chair and take a load off your feetIt alone is worth ten bucks for a Grounds Pass. Notice the Georgia Tech sweater. It was really cool. '97 was the coldest June in 100 years. Yes, I'm a ramblin' wreck from Georgia Tech.
V-e-r-y inte-resting
Wimbledon illustrate past
There's no stopping these British fans. This is Court 18 built in 1997. I saw Hingis and Navotna play doubles here in 1998.
I don't care if the sun don't shine. A London Daily Tabloid passed these out if you bought a paper.
Now, I felt certain the little guy wasn't a cop. He needed a shave, bath, clean clothes, and he had already visited a pub. Bobbies,
No Marjorie, I really didn't meet her.
Fans leaving early drop their tickets in the red ticket collection boxes. These tickets are sold to first in queue for one pound, and the money goes to charity.
Resale Queue in 1999. The big Steward in blue suit (back to us) and hat is selling tickets.
The time is about 5pm. So, now the resale tickets go for three-quid. I believe it's five-quid before five. It's still a fantastic bargain. Tennis continues 'til 8:30pm
It is the best buy at Wimbledon, even surpassing the price of a cushion and left luggage. Note: The ground capacity is fixed at 28,000. Wimbledon is usually filled by early afternoon and the queues are still quite long. Now, fans are admitted only after departing fans deposit their tickets in the red boxes.
In a few days, I would celebrate my fifty-ninth birthday. This early birthday gift, a week at Wimbledon, was the best birthday gift I'd ever received.
Thank you, Marjorie Lee.
EPILOGUE
Experiences not revealed in the ramblings above:
MRS. DEMERY TRASHES MY AIRLINE TICKET: One night after an exciting day at Wimbledon, I returned to my B&B to discover my airline ticket was missing. I kept calm and cool. Wrong! I flew downstairs and found Mrs. Demery in the kitchen. After telling her my dilemma, she said she'd cleaned my room and thrown away some trash. Out to the garbage can they headed hastily and the ticket was found. Alex was relieved. I calmed down, eventually.
SEEING LONDON BY TRAIN: For £2 30p ($4), - This will cost more now. You can buy a day-pass on the Underground System and go any place you desire in London. All you need is an Underground Planner and tolerance for pushing and shoving. It's for the hardy. Buying a day-pass, which is good from 10am until around 11pm, will save you much money and time waiting in queues for tickets. When you leave or enter a station, insert the ticket into the slot and the gate can be pushed open, whereupon the ticket is returned.
MORE THAN TENNIS: On Saturday evening, I went to see the musical Kats at Drury Lane Theater and was scalped again. Twenty-four dollars for a $14 ticket was a real bargain. P-s-s-s-s! Me-ow! In New York, the ticket could have easily cost $40. I was reminded I'd seen South Pacific, starring Mary Martin, at Drury Lanes in '51. It’s not the same theater however.
NOT EVEN CLOSE: The ceiling plaster fell in my room at Mrs. Demery's. Fortunately, I wasn't at home at the time. Many of these homes in the Wimbledon area are more than seventy years old, so you expect a little problem like that to happen. Overall, they are remarkable structures.
MISFORTUNE: I lost my wallet somewhere between Cincinnati, Ohio, and West Palm Beach, Florida, coming home from my great adventure. Gone: $110 cash, driving license with the ugliest mug shot ever, one tapped out credit card, insurance cards, pictures of my God children, Marjorie and son. Vas you ever in Zinzinnati?
TIME MARCHES ON: The pub in Piccadilly Circus, where I popped into occasionally in '51 is now a Whimpey hamburger joint. The hamburger was tasty, but expensive. A pint would have been more interesting. The beer would have kindled memories of youthful adventure.
KEEPING ON, KEEPING ON: Seniors playing doubles on the out-courts enjoy themselves immensely. I relate readily to these chaps…at least age-wise. Great vintage performers like Drysdale, Laver, Roche, Rosewall, Stewart, Stolle, Newcomb, Edmondson and Stockton to mention a few. I would lie, cheat, bribe, steal, pay and impersonate for an invitation to play.
INDEPENDENCE DAY: England is the wrong place to celebrate the 4th of July. It came my second day there and it passed almost unnoticed. Where are all the parades...fireworks?
UNDISCOVERED: I surmise, "The Older Man and the Queue," starring yours truly ended up on the bottom of the editor's scrap heap. Pity! The world denied.
THE 1989 CHAMPIONS: Miss Steffi Graf and Mr. Boris Becker; both from Germany. It was a blitzkrieg.
To be continued