For the next two weeks, tennis fans around the world will be watching or visiting the oldest and most prestigious tennis tournament (est. 1877) at SW19 – Wimbledon.
The weather forecast for today (Monday) is looking a hot 28 degrees centigrade, and with one local change announced late yesterday, Andy Murray withdrawing from this year’s championship, things will certainly be heating up on centre court.
Who to watch out for
- Roger Federer No 1 seeded begins his quest for a record 9th men’s singles title. He opens on day 1 at 1pm on Centre Court.
- Seven times champion Serena Williams seeded 183, is back at SW19 for the first time since giving birth, also opens on Monday for her bid to be ladies champion.
- Others to watch are Simona Halep ranked no 1, Garbine Muguruza ranked 3, and of course Rafael Nadal ranked 2.
- 13 British singles players will take to the courts, five have earned direct entry while eight have been given wild cards.
Let’s serve up some Wimbledon facts
Did you know, Slazenger has been the official supplier of tennis balls since 1902? The balls are stored at 68 degrees, and at the start of each day 48 tins are taken onto Centre and No 1 Court, and 24 on outside courts. Each day used balls are sold directly to the public for £2.50 for a can of 3.
There are 40 grass courts in total, each cut to an exact height of 8mm.
For those of us who are huge foodie fans…
- 330.00 cups of tea and coffee
- 320.000 glasses of Pimms
- 29.000 bottles of champagne
- 34.000 kg English Kent Strawberries
Are all expected to be consumed throughout the tournament.
It has become a traditional treat to enjoy strawberries and cream, and Wimbledon has revealed that it subsidises this treat, which has remained at £2.50 for the past seven years. Strawberries are picked at 4.00am daily, collected at 9am, and delivered to SW19 for 11am freshness.
Do you know what else happens most days at 9am before the gates open? Rufus a Harris Hawk will fly around SW19 for one hour to deter the local bird life from interrupting play.
Follow all of the action from this year’s tennis tournament live on Twitter #Wimbledon
