Two Wimbledon fans aren't bothered by waiting times in the famous SW19 queue. Photo: Getty Images/Adrian Dennis
The Wimbledon lineup is such an integral part of the tournament, it comes with its own 19-page guide. It's quintessentially British, even deeper than Pimm's, strawberries and cream or suppressing all emotions until a heart attack in the early 50s.
But due to a drop in demand last year, there were rumors of digitization, allowing people to register and then leave and wait for notification, or moving the entire process online. This year the tradition has remained unchanged: stewards and experienced queuers noticed that on Monday morning there were much more people than usual.
Fans arrive at Wimbledon Park hours or even days before arrival to buy ground tickets or a small number of participants. available tickets for the show court. Shortly after arrival, everyone is given a card indicating their place in the queue. According to the ViewFromTheQ Twitter account that keeps track of the numbers, at 4:45 a.m. last year, the line was still three digits long. By 5 am this year, there were over 2,000 people in line.
At 7:30 am, there were many local accents, but German, Japanese, and Spanish were also spoken. Most wore the jackets and boots of hardy campers, others adopted airport rules early in the morning and cracked bottles of prosecco or cans of medium-strength lager. It was a rare combination of stiffness and purposeful drinking.
Jason Kilby, an Australian from Lilydale in suburban Melbourne, seemed giddy after the double headline, which included a day at Lord's. He arrived at Wimbledon at 4 am. “This is an absolutely sensational experience. Where would you rather be?” A little ahead was Londoner Amy Parsons, who was in line number 1700. She did not expect tickets for the show to court, her goal was to see Harriet Dart and Coco Gauff. “There are many tourists, there are more on this side of the pandemic. visitors have returned.
Just like you're waiting for the most popular theme park rollercoaster, you turn what seems to be the turning point, only to see hundreds of others yet to come. This is a work of several parts and movements, the turn of prog-rock. The mood was more subdued in the K12 section, arriving at 8 am who had not yet been assigned a room and had not gone very far. “I think we're in limbo,” said Ivy Nielsen, a first-time line-up visiting London from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. “Our future is uncertain.” Her friend Will Cavey preferred to see the positives: “Maybe it's better than Wimbledon itself,” he said. “I've seen tennis before, but I've never queued for so many hours.”
Tennis fans who slept in a tent to get a good place in the queue. Photo: PA/Victoria Jones : Getty Images/Adrian Dennis
Another story is about a kilometer down the road, where Daniel Barker was at the very front with his parents, the proud owner of queue card number 00001. They camped at half past seven on Saturday morning. “It's definitely regenerated this year and that's really good, you don't want to lose that kind of tradition.” What is the secret to winning in line? “Just get here as early as possible,” he says. Okay, that was a stupid question. “High doses of caffeine,” is another piece of advice before his mom Julia chimes in: “To enjoy it. You must enjoy the camping and the atmosphere.”
Most had to wait much longer than expected. By noon, many who had arrived early Monday morning were still stranded on the street, and more thorough security checks were to blame. As always with queues, they are tolerable as you move, but most of those who tolerate the wait have stood for hours.
Jenny Sachs was one of a large family group that came from Philadelphia and Boston. She arrived at 5:45 and was told she would most likely be there by 11:30. Passed until 14:00. “There was no warning message about the delay. I don't know if we'll be back in the UK to visit Wimbledon again.”
Outside, as the crowd finally dispersed, a jovial steward apologized and told patrons they could see the official ticket sales. tent and it wasn't a mirage. Farhan Abrol, another one who arrived before 6am, said: “I definitely won't be back, archaic traditions and lack of transparency is a tricky combination.”
Inside, just behind the last bag check tables, the mood was fraying, if not breaking , those who finally broke through the gate raced towards the ships they had hoped to reach hours earlier. Chris Warmout prepared for a three to four hour wait, which took him more than eight. How would he describe his experience? “Terrible. Zero connection, huge queues for coffee, nowhere to sit. Drinking water was there, but nothing more. I queued 30 years ago, I won't do it again. It was terrible.”
When he left, to start your day with a delay, the first drops of rain began to fall.
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