All quiet at Wimbledon

Take a walk with me around the All England Club

Sports reporters have the privilege of hanging around iconic venues in the quiet.

There is something really special about being in a place usually so full of noise, with the volume turned all the way down.

I’ve wandered around the touchline at the Emirates Stadium during an open training session, watching the likes of Vivianne Miedema and Beth Mead. I’ve been kicked out of Wembley, on deadline, hours after the last ball was kicked and fans left.

The empty stands, the groundskeepers with their lawnmowers, the manic moments I have spent sat on a roadside, hacking away at my keyboard while trying to cling onto one bar of WiFi. (It isn’t all romantic or glamorous, but it sure beats your usual 9-5.)

To my mind though, there is nowhere quite like Wimbledon in the quiet - especially the week before the tournament begins.

The calm before the Championships

Last week I ventured onto the grounds on Friday, specifically for the draw (and to pick up my media accreditation before the crowds descended on the All England Club on Monday).

As I walked through Gate 5 on Church Road at 9:05am, there was a certain familiar hum in the air which still makes me giddy even though I have been coming here since 2018. It was glorious blue skies overhead, I could hear the trickling of the small fountain at the entrance and could see those pristine green lawns on Court 6 and 7 ahead.

Even before the tournament begins, there are still hundreds of staff milling around making the final touches at the All England Club. Some were busying themselves watering the violet and lilac hydrangeas or trimming hedges. Others were whizzing around on golf buggies, while the rest are lugging equipment from one court to another. Each blade of grass looks inch perfect, like most details across the site.

I circled around Centre Court, the burnt orange and green Boston ivy clinging to its facade as it always is, walked beneath that famous balcony the champions traditionally hold the trophy aloft on, and ascended the stairs towards the media centre.

Throughout the day, players passed me by, making the most of the empty walkways before the fans make it impossible for some of the biggest stars to navigate the grounds without the help of security. Top players like Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz or Iga Swiatek will rarely walk among the public at the All England Club, instead using the underground tunnel system that has been in operation since 1997, which connects the show courts, player locker rooms, practice courts and more.

I made a quick pitstop to dump my bag at a desk in the media centre, which is on the west side of the grounds, in the shadow of Centre Court. It was pretty deserted, but by Monday hundreds of members of the written press sit alongside each other in their individual pods. Plastic panes separate each desk, in a hangover from the Covid pandemic, and we have access to an interactive screen each, for live footage from each court and a wealth of statistics to dip into.

A few floors up, there is the media balcony - a new feature added just last year, which boasts the best view of the grounds. It looks out over Court 18 and 14-17, some of which were still covered that early Friday morning.

Inside the media theatre on that floor, 100 plush dark green, leather seats await the members of the media. People filed in for the draw on Friday, with tournament referee Denise Parnell and her assistant literally drawing numbers from a velvet bag and threw up an unexpected gaffe this year. Then it was back to exploring for me.

Over the last couple of years in my role with the Telegraph, the week before Wimbledon was often one of my busiest of the year. It was spent prepping preview stories and reacting to news of withdrawals and injury updates for the top players too - particularly the Brits. Players understandably become less accessible for one-on-one conversations during the tournament, so everyone spends the week before the Championships trying to gather exclusive quotes and content to publish on the eve of play starting.

This year was a little bit different for me though, as I’m now a free agent. I had a few interviews to conduct, but it wasn’t on me to cover the news as much anymore. The breathing space felt strange, but it gave me a bit of time to take in all the build up from a different vantage point. And to just appreciate being back at Wimbledon ahead of what I freely admit is my favourite fortnight of the year.

Last Saturday I also returned to the All England Club for a delightful chat with Holger Rune, sharing a picnic table overlooking Court 18, and to sit in on the many press conferences taking place.

I spot Ons Jabeur bossing the keepie-uppie challenge with the social team, and Carlos Alcaraz making up a secret handshake with an adorable 11-year-old reporter working for Wimbledon.

Wandering over to the Aorangi Park practice courts at the northern end of the site is always a treat too. Players and their teams are noticeably relaxed as they make final preparations for what many regard as the biggest fortnight of the season.

My favourite though is popping in to see Centre Court. A select few top players get the luxury of testing out that court, along with No 1 Court, in the weekend before the tournament begins.

There is no security, no one stopping you from sitting anywhere you want in the stands - even right by the court side. A couple dozen staff members or journos file in to take the opportunity to sit on this iconic court, and watch world No 1 Swiatek and France’s Caroline Garcia trade blows on the slick fresh grass.

Each shot echoes around the arena. The players’ coaching teams weigh in on how the practice set is going. You feel almost like you are intruding on a private moment, sat listening in and watching. I don’t think it is a scene I will ever quite get used to.

By the first day of the tournament, the rose tinted glasses did fall - I promise. I’m working for The i newspaper for the majority of this week and need to be alert to quirky stories, small hiccups around scheduling, the impact of rain-blighted afternoons and full-blown rows kicking off both on and off court. As well as the tennis, of course.

But ahead of the first ball being hit, I couldn’t help but appreciate the atmosphere, remember when I was the pre-teen obsessed with tennis, spending my summers absorbing every minute of Wimbledon coverage on the BBC that I could and wishing I was there. I can’t even try to act cool about it, it’s Wimbledon.

These 42 acres of land in south west London are now bustling with up to 42,000 spectators on site each day. But last week, it was a little oasis of relative calm. Call it overly sentimental, but I feel lucky to be one of very few allowed onsite to experience it.

Recommendations

If you’re here, I’m guessing you like peaking behind the curtain of sports journalism, and this piece by my former colleague Simon Briggs is an excellent read. He tells the story of what it has been like to report on soon-to-be-retired Andy Murray. Includes a lot of travel chaos.

I spent a really enjoyable hour at Hyde Park with world No 11 Danielle Collins last week. We spoke about her upcoming retirement, her unconventional journey to the top and how stalkers have negatively impacted her life on tour. It was refreshingly candid and a conversation that reminded me of the huge challenges faced by athletes off the court, in particular women. You can read it on the Telegraph website here.

In prepping this piece, I also found a fun story on the Wimbledon tunnel network by tennis writer Nick McCarvel.

Also, if you’re looking for a Wimbledon themed podcast, I chatted to Katie Boulter for my podcast Off The Bench. Here’s a clip - and you can listen via this link or on YouTube. Let me know what you think.

I’ll be back soon with more insights from Wimbledon. Thanks for reading!

Molly x