The Wimbledon Queue is every bit a part of the great British tournament as strawberries and cream
This is not just a queue but The Queue: a curiously beautiful and annually growing tradition that is becoming a defining feature of the fans' Wimbledon experience
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Most associate Wimbledon with strawberries and cream, Pimm’s or similar edible manifestations of Britishness.
And yet it is the sound of burgers sizzling from food trucks at 5am, prepared to feed the large crowd gathered, that are sparking excitement. Around 10.30am each day for the next two weeks the famous gates of the All England Club will open to the thousands of fans who have queued through the night to ensure entry to the prestigious tournament.
Accompanied by the wafting aroma of fresh coffee, they wait patiently in what is becoming a ritual. Two of Britain’s great hobbies; tennis and queuing, united.
The signs, and their capitalisation, tell a story. This is not just a queue but The Queue: a curiously beautiful and annually growing tradition. Although the majority of the tickets have already long sold out or shared between VIPs, The Queue offers a unique last-minute chance to participate in this prestigious tournament, a biff on the nose for elitists.
“If you wait a few days, you can get tickets for the Centre Court; something not imaginable in the US or at the Australian Open,” says Michael, 33, from Germany. “It’s a great thing for real tennis fans.”
It is a balmy Monday morning like no other. Looking around at 6am there is a small festival of tents, with a gaggle of fans remaining zipped inside their canvas mansions, snoring loudly. The many people from London, other parts of the United Kingdom, and much further afield are not really here for sleep though.
As time ticks on, some begin to clear up empty prosecco bottles and pizza boxes, before moving onto disentangling their tents. Others have just started sipping beer while igniting conversations about the possible outcomes of this year’s Championships. Networking, discussion and debate lie at the heart of The Queue experience.
“We found out yesterday that if we hadn’t start queuing immediately, then [we] wouldn’t have got tickets for [Rafa] Nadal,” explains Hans, 25, from Estonia. “The atmosphere, you can meet people in The Queue; everybody is around and you can exchange stories. Some people have been joining it for 22 years and this time they are here again.”
“You meet loads of people you see every year and it’s just really lovely,” adds Gilly, 43, whose croaking voice suggests she is not usually up this early on a Monday. “Everybody has got the same goal; everybody is a tennis nerd so you’ve got lots to talk about.”
Love and passion for tennis tie some people to this place forever. For Lorraine, 62, The Queue has been a part of her life for the last 40 years. “It’s quiet, compared to other years,” she says before revealing who she’s been looking forward to watch since she first arrived here at 5:30am two days ago. “I want to see Nadal.”
The Spaniard and, unsurprisingly, Andy Murray emerge as the two main favourites of the crowd. Both embarked on their Wimbledon journeys on Monday; and the tournament’s captivating line-up for day one has ensured that Wimbledon Park is packed to the rafters. The first person joining The Queue checked in at record-breaking time: 1.30am on Saturday. By Sunday, at 5pm, all the 500 tickets for both Centre Court and Court No1 were taken.
“The thought of going on centre court is what makes people come here, it’s anticipation of going and watching players you follow everywhere,” says Catherine, 52, who joined The Queue at 3pm on Saturday.
“We didn’t plan to put up a tent; we just thought we would have a blow-up bed. And, at 5am it started raining,” she adds, without any inkling of annoyance.
The atmosphere is pretty much familial here; and excitement palpable. Although stewards have started giving a wake-up knock to the tents of people still immersed in their tennis dreams, smiles still fill the tired faces of those waiting.
Sleep, usually so precious in this crazily hectic city, doesn’t really matter right know. Neither does the tickle of rain beginning to fall. Especially for the people here, in The Queue, the next 14 days it’s all about tennis.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments