Summer Grass Court Tennis Adventures from Wimbledon

Grass Tennis and Summer Adventures in Europe

Living next to Wimbledon Park for 4 days. I wanted to showcase to American fans what it is really like to queue. It is much easier to buy Ticketmaster tickets online. US Open fans can rejoice for digital technology and mobile ticketing!

• NYC summer vacation ideas - my US Open SuperFan Guide.

JC on the "Quest of the 3 Kings"
To visit Roger, Rafa, and Novak in Europe.

I was previously at Wimbledon for the grand opening of the Centre Court Roof.

Seat Upgrades: You can go into the queue in the early afternoon to get a grounds pass, then head straight to the upgrade queue near Court 18 to get a ticket to a show court (if you're lucky). Many fans have left already towards the end of the day. Wimbledon resells these tickets per court.

Roger's Retirement Ceremony at Wimbledon - Video

FYI: all last-minute Amex tickets for every session were sold out in the first 20 minutes!
Try checking for Ticketmaster's digital tickets if you want to skip the queue.

Coco Gauff on Court 1
Our US Open 2023 Champion 2 months later!

Queuing: the UK Fan Experience

During the first 4 days, I queued in both the rain and the sun. Sometimes 4-6 hours on the giant lawn! Some played cricket to pass the time. Food trucks lined the back. Overall, it usually had a very festive feel.

According to Dan Ariely, these rituals are about lining up that consumers must endure before enjoying the fruits of the labor to enhance the overall experience (Dollars and Sense, 2018). As one put it, this 19th-century event loves its ceremonies.

Living at SW18 above the Rain Showers

I stayed in a 3rd story flat next door to some junior Wimbledon tennis players. It was a blessing to be dry.

The location allowed me to use a toilet and hot shower during those precious 30-minute breaks. From my balcony, I kept an eye out on the queue during the rainstorms.

Among Bakers and Shepards...

To pass the time during the long days, I went out to chat with many international tennis fans!

These were the hardcore folks who came for the love of the game. Some campers were willing to wait for the best Centre Court seats - getting there overnight or even two days before! The ones at the front are saints.

On the 2nd day, I queued with an Australian tennis couple celebrating their honeymoon. They were in Europe towards the end of the French Open and then up to the start of Wimbledon. Brilliant Idea!

More photos of the Super Fan experience.

Centre Court with Sinner

Week 1 Highlights:

• Seeing Roger on July 4th at his Wimbledon retirement ceremony.
• Got upgraded to the front row (A) on Court 1.
• Saw a 5th set superbreak on Court 2.
• Watched the Legends like Novak on Centre Court.

Comparison to the US Open:

• Britsh crowds love queues or lines! There's a line for tickets, food, seats, toilets, shops, and lounges.
• NYC fans will balk if they wait more than 5 minutes for coffee. I waited for over 20 in London for tea.
• British Pounds are expensive! At the time, a 25-30% markup on the US Dollar.
• You need court-specific reserved tickets for "show courts,"; even Court #2 with no roof.
• Side courts are extremely limited in seating. Difficult to see if you're short like me (under 5'6)
  
  

Funny Facts for Fans, Friends, and Family

• At the US Open, I'm used to 10 minutes of security to watch 6+ hours of tennis on over 17 courts. Not vice versa :)
• On day 2, six hours of queuing sadly yielded less than 1 hour of tennis - completely rained out.
• Even the Wimbledon Highlights video on LinkedIn tried to put a positive spin on security.
• I instead got to visit their museum and gift shops. Plus, I sampled many of their food and beverages.
• Pimm's is the UK version of the Honey Deuce. I still prefer the US Open drink and cups.

2nd Floor Amex Lounge with some Pimm's

Sweets - Box of Strawberries and Cream

Tour de France - weekend detour in San Sebastian and Bilbao

During a rainstorm, I stopped at a small cafe in San Sebastian for lunch. A nice girl and her dog offered me a seat by the window. She asked if I was in town to see the peloton in a couple hours. Bicycle race? I actually had no idea.

The podium for this leg of the Tour de France was at the next bridge. No wonder there were so many people in town that weekend! Bilbow is highly recommended for art and architecture fans. Bilbao, Spain Photos

The girl turned out to be the wife of a UK's Tom Pidcock - an exceptional downhill specialist. She had just traveled from Bilbow the night before for the previous leg of the race. Thus, all the signage around the city.

Guggenheim Museum at Night. Tour De France (Stage 1 at Bilboa)

Mallorca Championships - ATP 250

On the island of Mallorca, I visited Palma and her beautiful harbor and old town.

Tsitsipas and a few other ATP players say this is the best Wimbledon preview tournament. The tournament director was none other than Uncle Toni Nadal. They even use the actual balls of Wimbledon.

Chris Eubanks, 1st ATP Title and his Cinderella Run at Wimbly

As Media Press, following Chris Eubanks and his incredible Cinderella run on grass.

He won his 1st ATP title at the Mallorca Championship.

He's a fellow Georgia Tech grad. Following him was a highlight of the trip. In the Citizen (Arthur) Ashe documentary, he even plays the role of body double as a young Ashe in the CNN film.

I got to chat a bit with his new coach, who has helped Chris take off. Such an epic1st ATP title and emotional victory speech for his team! I'm looking forward to the US Open 2023, where Chris will be a seeded player!

Rafa Nadal Academy Visit (Updates in July 2023)
I drove from Palma to Manacor to visit the Rafa Nadal Academy on the day of the Final. Uncle Toni was coaching, and Rafa was resting inside. The indoor clay courts and expansion of the campus looked fantastic.

The new Rafa Statue overlooking the center court

Autographs of famous visitors @ Rafa Nadal Sport Shop

You can still join their USA Tennis Summer Camps for Juniors and Adults in over 30 cities.

Greetings for now from Wimbledon!
See you for the US Open Series series (July-September)

European summer grass report of 2021

Tennis Tourism for Germany in 2021 was too soon

As a tennis journalist, I was able to enter Europe in June 2021 before the official tourist restrictions were lifted for vaccinated Americans. This article offers a glimpse of reality for American travelers and foreign tennis fans considering a European vacation this summer.

Grass Court Tennis

This seemed like an exciting opportunity to cover a couple important grass tournaments at the WTA Berlin and ATP Halle locations in Germany.

Held in mid-June, these were the key warm-up events for Wimbledon. Plus, I was eager and excited to finally be going to Europe for the first time since COVID-19 became our new reality.

Flying and Testing
Before my trip began, I was pleased to secure a round trip ticket for $500 USD on TAP Portugal from Washington DC to Lisbon and then Berlin and back.

Prior to flying, I used Same Day Health covid-19 testing to present a negative PCR test and associate it with my passport # in order to fly into Portugal. Even being fully vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine and having my CDC health card was insufficient for entry.

Getting PCR Tests in Europe

Once I arrived in Germany, daily COVID test documents were officially required by all hotels each night of my stay. In Berlin, I walked 20 minutes to Mitte (Center of the city) to get my test first thing in the morning. Test results for 75 Euros were guaranteed to come within 24 hours, though the results came back near the very tail end of that limit. However, a faster test would have doubled my testing cost.

In retrospect, a simple "rapid antigen" test at the airport for 40 Euros would have been the better option, but there was a lot of competing and conflicting information out there. Different countries and locations accept different types of tests for entry, increasing the complexity. TPG's frequent flying staffers had their own field reports that echoed similar confusion at European airports. It is definitely a big business for test companies that issue time-sensitive test results to desperate travelers.

The true cost I'd estimate was about $200-$300 more when you add in all the required PCR tests before and after the trip. It can be a bit cheaper if you plan can afford to wait at least 48 hours for the test results sent digitally.

Grass Tennis - Finally!?

Once I cleared the testing hurdle, I was able to attend the grass-court tournaments in Berlin and Halle.

Roger Federer made his appearance at the tournament he had won 10 times in Halle. The excitement of his appearance was enough to fuel the vast majority of excitement over the possibility that he might win and have a strong chance to win Wimbledon. The buzz was a hope to catch a glimmer of his past brilliance on his favorite surface.

Halle, Germany - round 1 victory for Federer

At his second-round match, he squeezed out his first set against Felix Auger Aliassime (FAA).

The Road to Rafa Part 4: London Calling

Wimbledon/London Pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/demiace/sets/72157619262170458/

EuroStar and Chunnel

Taking the Chunnel from Paris, I arrive in London about 2 hours later.

Recommended to me by a fellow tennis coach, I decided to try this instead of another flight - traveling in a business class environment for 30 miles on the undersea rail tunnel.

Personally, I would skip the Chunnel ride as it was not really worth the price over flying. Plus not a lot of scenery along the trip.

It takes you under the English Channel while seeing the French northern country-side. However, the day trip I took to Normandy on that Memorial Day was definitely more exciting. Sites included Tour stops at Pointe du Hoc, American Cemetery, Battery of Longue-sur-Mer, Caen Memorial, plus Juno/Gold/Omaha Beaches.

Wimbledon: The All England Club

Getting on the grounds was pretty exciting. The day before I had arrived in the afternoon and unfortunately was closed just before I could get in.

Can you tell me how to get to Wimbledon?
If you're taking the Underground Tube, just remember that the closest stop is not the one called "Wimbledon". That is actually just a giant shopping mall nor is it the one marked "Wimbledon Park".

You want to get off at the "Southfields" station:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southfields_tube_station.

Guided Grounds Tours

I would definitely check the Wimbledon tour schedule ahead of time. A good time to take a tour is in the morning when the crews are still working on the lawns.

Wimbledon was the crowning star stadium of tennis for me. It is where so many growing up as boys and girls have dreamed of getting to ever since they first hold a racket or watch it on TV.

That year, I was lucky enough to see the center court on the first year that they put up the retractable roof completed.

The Wimbledon Roof Opening took place just days ago I took this picture in late May, with Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf, Tim Henman and Kim Clijsters playing its first ceremonial match of mixed doubles. See the BBC report that actually had Andy Murray meeting with his idol Andre Agassi at that ceremony.

Wimbledon Museum

When you purchase your entrance ticket, you can enter with or without the museum option. I would definitely opt to see it, if you have not been before or are a fan of the game/history. It has many amazing tennis artifacts dating back over a century and a half.

Most Recently when I was there, they added a window display of the clothes/shoes that Nadal and Federer wore during their epic 2008 Final. It was also the last year before the roof was built over center court.

Rafa's Footsteps

As you can see, my shoe size is a bit smaller than Rafa's =)

Yes, I was lucky enough to bring my tennis clothes, shoes and racket with me on the tour. Getting right there on Wimbledon grass with a chance to hit/serve one ball is a dream come true for any tennis player.

The view along the outside courts was also amazing, especially without all the crowds and chewed up grass you will see once the tournament begins.

Player's Conference Room

Olympic Gold

This year in 2012, the Summer Olympics will be held at Wimbledon - using the top 4 courts in the tournament. The Gold Medal match will be held on Centre Court.

Rafael Nadal is only the 2nd man in history to win an Olympic Gold in singles along with the 4 Grand Slams in their career (Andre Agassi is the other).

Best of luck to Roger Federer plus tennis players all around the world who will be playing for international glory this summer in London!

For more sights and places to see while in London, please see the rest of this article below.

Read more about my Tennis Travels

Exploring the City of London...

I would say that even 2-3 days is more than enough to see central London. Even if you leave 1 day to just Wimbledon, it is more than enough. There just is not that much to do there except museums but I did enjoy a few outdoor marketplaces (Piccadilly Circus).

Taxi's are just really expensive and they will not take Euros. Riding around everywhere in the Underground or "Tube" as they call it, can get you to most of the places you need to be at.

Staying in Knightsbridge (London)

My balcony suite view in Knightsbridge. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knightsbridge - near Hyde Park (where I went to find tennis courts) and great if you love shopping.

Sheraton Belgravia -
Redeemed for a very good price of $60 + 4000 points per night. In an area that normally goes for 200-500 GBP /night. They also provided a complimentary gym pass down the street.

What was cool was because it was not a crowded week, I was upgraded with my SPG card to one of the two "Executive Rooms" at the penthouse suite level. Great view! Also, this hotel was just about 2-3 blocks from the nearest Underground station so it was very easy to get around town.

Hyde Park and Tennis Courts

When you walk around London, you realize that there is a surprising amount of green space. Hyde Park is located near Buckingham Palace and offers acres of grass to take you through the city - very much like Central Park in NYC.

Tennis in London

Playing tennis there though, generally seems reserved to mainly the club players as I did not see many public courts available.

I also stopped by Wimbledon Park, just outside of the All England Club which had both hard courts and some astroturf courts but had fixed membership or drop-in fees attached to playing there. I spoke to one parent who had a daughter taking lessons from the pro there.

ITN (International Tennis Number), a tennis rating system used by the ITF - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Tennis_Federation#Player_rating_and_registration

The pro and most players there seemed hesitant to let anyone new play there and declined a friendly match even when I offered to pay for a quick set. Apparently, they have never heard of pick-up games either plus no practice walls I could see. Unfortunately, without better grass-roots tennis organizations, it may be a very long time before they have another tennis champion in the UK.

Here is the British tennis rating sheet and schedule of lessons given at Hyde Park. Notice that the lower the rating number, the better the player...which is the opposite of NTRP ratings in the USTA.

Harrods and British Fashion
Interestingly enough, the Brits actually have many stores that import American brands, as they consider our fashion in style. Ironic that we buy Burryberry and other UK brands for their flare here too.

By the way, it seemed like many of the British women love the sound of an American accent. Not sure why, but was a huge bonus over there.

They have a giant department store near Knightsbridge called Harrods. It even has a dress code and requests backpack holders to carry, not wear their backpack, for fear of knocking over something!

Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, London Eye

Hmm, I was expecting something grander but maybe I had to go on a tour to get the full effect. However, I was not blown away by the sights there, to say the least. It can be a bit exhausting wading through the large crowds of tourists looking to get their pictures taken.

Luckily, it only rained one day while I was there, but definitely check the forecast and pack appropriately!

The London Library with original manuscripts such as the Magma Carte was worth a look though.

Also interesting were all the specialty museums that are everywhere, like one for Transportation (trains), Movies and Cinema (movie props from shows), and Science + Natural History museums.

Some things I noticed in Britain

Taxis
Although very interesting to look at, I think getting around in a Taxi is pretty much too expensive (see receipt)...I went about 1 mile and the cost was about $7 - did it for the experience and souvenir receipt I guess.

Bars and Pubs
Almost every day after work, it seems like their entire working population is at the local pubs. They are around every corner and have names like "Fox and Hounds" or "Bear and Staff". I tried some Fish and Chips at one and it wasn't bad at all. They do love their beer and happy hours in the UK though.

British Underground Tube
Everything in the Underground, including the announcements, was over the top polite - "Please mind the gap", it calls out over the loudspeaker as a subway approaches.

Also, they encourage people to buy "Oyster Cards" or rechargeable fare cards. The card itself costs money too, and unless you really want it for a souvenir, I would skip it.


In the future, I plan to visit a few more of the grass tournaments:

Queen's Club, Halle & Stuttgart - possibly before Federer retires.

I was fortunate enough to see the Hall of Fame tournament in Rhode Island and attended the retirement ceremony of Andy Roddick and Kim Clijsters!

Read more about my Tennis Travels

The Roadmap to Rafa - Summer in Europe

• Prologue: The Journey Begins with a Dream...
  
• Madrid, Spain (Mutua Madrid Open): Nadal vs Federer Final on Clay
• Barcelona (Sanchez-Casal Academy): Training next to a French Open Champion
• Paris (French Open): I sat 3 rows behind Rafa
• London (Wimbledon): Church on Grass
• Rome (Italian Open + Vatican): the Soul of Tennis People

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the places and moments that take our breath away."
- Anonymous

Rafa's 2010 come-back continues...Wimbledon 2010

Rafa wins in the French Open and win Wimbledon in 2010! In a tough face-off against hometown fav Andy Murray in the semi's, Nadal has managed to once again proven his tenacity and toughness to weather the storms of tennis and those of life.

Whether the challenges be physical, mental, environmental or emotional - the Champion rises again when it counts. The indomitable human spirit is what we applaud; the brilliance of his maturity at the age of 24 is what we admire.

I'm very excited about the US Open 2010 this year! I already have my QF tickets for September and we will all be waiting and wondering if *this* will be the year of Rafa's career slam.

- JC

The longest tennis match in history

(Jun 22-24, 2010: Wimbledon Court 18)

America's John Isner vs France's Nicolas Mahut

• 11 Hours, 5 Minutes...length of game time
• 6–4, 3–6, 6–7(9–7), 7–6(7–3), 70–68...match score
• 8 hours, 11 Minutes...length of 5th set alone
• 168 consecutive games held on-serve (no breaks since 2nd set)
  
• 113 aces for Isner - at 4 points per game, 6 games per set, that's ...
• ~4.7 sets worth of one shot, zero contact, service Aces!

Ok, so everyone in the world probably heard about this game. I saw ESPN's front page go from World Cup coverage to reading "To Infinity and Beyond!!". It is absolutely incredible what these guys accomplished on the tennis court and will never be repeated again....

I actually attended the same Saddlebrook training academy in Tampa back in '06 that Isner credited for toughing him up to go the distance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j95b7U3bOgY#t=1m33s

Nadal takes Wimbledon 2008!

Nadal takes Wimbledon 2008!

July 6, 2008 - labeled the "Best Match in Tennis History" [6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (8), 9-7]

Nadal ends Federer's 5 years of dominance at Wimbledon and becomes the first man since Borg to win French and Wimbledon in the same year. Through rain delays, darkness, roller coaster of emotions and the finest quality of tennis rallys one can ask for - Nadal prevails.

The only question is now when will be secure his #1 ranking. For a champion that has won so many titles and beaten the world #1 regularly in so many finals, he deserves this rightful spot after so many years as the longest holder of the #2 spot. My guess is that in Cincy, Rafa will be #1!!

Looking forward even more now to going to the US Open this year =)