The queue to get one of the coveted tickets in Wimbledon Coming to the tournament is as much a part of the most important tournament in the world as strawberries and cream. Those who join the line are huge tennis fans and have brought a lot of patience with them.
Von Andreas Thies, London
The coveted goal is almost in sight and yet still many hours away. This sums up the most famous queue in the sporting world. Just a short walk from Southfields tube station, it winds its way across a large field: the so-called “queue”.
Here you can get tickets for Wimbledon. The facility can only be guessed at from the other side of the street, especially in the dark of night. Those who really want to wait are greeted with the slogan “Always Like Never Before”. “Always Like Never Before” is written on the large gate that invites you into a world that only exists at the most important tennis tournament in the world. A world that cannot exist without an army of volunteers, known here as stewards. One of them holds the large flag with the black large Q on a pale yellow background, marking the end of the line and the beginning of the wait.
Fans camp in line
Although the previous day is not over yet and the clock only shows shortly after 11 p.m., the queue has already reached number 927. One of those who maintains order overnight is Jana. She is the night steward and thus the contact person for both the new arrivals and all those who have already put up their tents. After 11 p.m., the queue, which has now been converted into a campsite, is quiet. Only hushed voices are spoken.
Jana, one of the “night watchmen” for three years, reports how the queue was still very small in 2022. Many people would probably not have dared to go out in crowds again shortly after the end of the pandemic. But this mistrust has given way to a new desire for the Wimbledon event. And the desire to endure a very long wait for it. Because before anyone gets onto the courts, 12, if not 18 hours, have usually passed.
One person who is happy to take on all of this and wait even longer is Catherine. She has traveled all the way from Belgium, has been in the queue since Saturday morning and is the proud owner of the waiting list card with the number 00001. Doubly in demand this Tuesday. It is Andy Murray Tuesday and Catherine is a huge fan of the Scot and two-time Wimbledon winner. “I’ve probably seen him 100 times,” she told Sportschau on Tuesday morning (July 2, 2024) at 6:30 a.m. It is not yet certain that Andy Murray will not be able to compete in the last singles match of his Wimbledon career. The ageing tennis star is let down by his body, battered by 19 years as a professional. But Catherine has already announced that she will line up for Murray’s doubles match with his brother Jamie.
Ticket hunters need patience
Meanwhile, after a night’s rest in the quiet south-west of London, the queue has turned into a mass of people. The queue has reached number 7000. Fans in this part of the queue can no longer hope to get tickets for the three largest courts. The only thing left to do is to get one of the ground passes that allow you to watch tennis on the outdoor courts. If you only get to the queue at around 10 a.m., the gates to the facility may not open until 7 p.m. in the evening. A real test of patience.
The history of the Wimbledon cue stretches back to the beginning of the 20th century. Even then, people were queuing for tickets at what is now the world’s most famous tennis facility. At the time, the cue was still somewhat disorganized, but today it is a well-oiled machine. Since this year, there has even been a large screen on which those waiting can watch the most important matches of the day. There are also food stalls, opportunities to charge mobile phones and the almost outrageously friendly stewards everywhere.
Five-year season ticket for £116,000
The queue is not the only way to get tickets, although it is the most direct. There is also a lottery, the so-called “public ballot”, in which you apply for tickets and those with the necessary financial means have the opportunity to purchase so-called “ebentures”, basically Wimbledon season tickets. They are sold for a period of five years. Anyone who wanted one of the 2,520 tickets for Centre Court for the years 2026-2030 had to pay 116,000 pounds in March of this year, the equivalent of around 136,000 euros. Court 1 also cost a whopping 46,000 pounds for five years.
The right of the more patient in the Wimbledon cue
Most people prefer to queue, and that is an institution in Wimbledon as it is in the whole of the kingdom. Anyone who has ever stood at a bus stop on the island knows about the unspoken tradition. There is no pushing in here. In Wimbledon, too, the number on the queue card records where you are in the queue. It is explicitly stated that pushing in, or “queue jumping”, is not accepted. All of this lends the kilometer-long queue an almost majestic sense of calm and relaxation. The law of the strongest does not apply here. In the Wimbledon queue, the law of the more patient applies.
At least the first of them are relieved at 10 a.m. The wait is over when the announcement “Will the stewards please open the gates!” is made. Spectators are asked not to sprint onto the courts for safety reasons. However, given the speed with which some of them rush to the pre-selected courts, they could at least succeed in the Olympic walking event.
Meanwhile, on the large field at Wimbledon Park Road, the queue for the next day has begun. I wonder if Catherine will also join the queue again to be absolutely sure of getting a ticket for Andy Murray’s doubles match? It can’t be long now.
2024-07-02 18:48:10
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