My Wimbledon diary

My lasting memories from three weeks in London

Wimbledon season is the busiest time of the year for me — and I love it. Everyone I know who covers it loves it too. There’s a buzz about the place that doesn’t exist for other events I’ve worked at.

It is also a long, tiring tournament. There’s a lot of talk about the short turnaround between clay season and the grass for players, but it also applies to those who work in tennis (I know, get your tiny violins out).

I missed the French Open this year so was lucky to arrive for grass court season at Queen’s feeling fresh, but many reporters went straight from their Eurostar train to Queen’s, suitcase in tow, and jumped right back into Grand Slam build-up. It really requires stamina.

The two or three weeks before Wimbledon can be almost as busy as the tournament itself, in particular for those who write for British newspapers and outlets where the appetite for coverage is heightened. That pre-tournament window is the time you have to gather and develop original ideas, exclusive interviews and get it all prepped for publishing. Then, when the Wimbledon fortnight arrives, you’re keeping pace with live and developing stories, as well as the results on the court for 14 relentless days.

It is so much fun and so much work at the same time — especially for the tennis correspondents who live and breath every moment, while juggling multiple tough deadlines a day.

As a freelancer, I have a bit more flexibility, but the challenge is making sure I’m actually busy enough to justify the three-week trip. This year I was really grateful to get lots of work across a number of different outlets.

After a few days of recovery, I thought it might be fun to reflect on how pieces I worked on came about, what I enjoyed covering the most and some of the lasting memories I’ll have from this year’s tournament.

So here’s my bumper edition Wimbledon diary — exclusively available to paid subscribers.