Wimbledon 2008

I am not a tennis person. Am not even a ball person!

But I was at Wimbledon last week to see the matches. It was purely for experience sake. I just wanted to see what the hype was all about.


As soon as I reached and saw the queue, my mood level plunged. I was debating whether or not it was worth paying 14quid to get in! I conceded that I should wait since I would still need to queue even if I were to return the next day. Everyone queuing was given a queue card. I was number 12,836 for the day. Winson who came an hour earlier was 11k plus. So you can imagine the crowd.

Card number 12100, counter number 10 please.....

It took me 2.5 hours to get in. In Malaysia, you would only see people jostling for two things - one is when something is free or two, at the highways when someone is killed in an accident for the car number plate.

At the ground where I was queuing there were already many tents. People were camping to get in the next day! I could now understand why. More so if you're a tennis fan!

The tents and the queue

Once inside, I met up with Winson. He told me a friend had given him a pair of Court One tickets which cost £44 each. He gave one to me. I was really thankful and happy. Court One, Two and the Centre Court are where all the top matches are held. So I considered myself very lucky. It was Igor Andreev against David Ferrer at the time.

The ticket and Court One

Adreev against Ferrer

Surprisingly I found myself watching the games in rapt attention. It didn't take a tennis fan to know the nail-biting moments. Time whizzed pass just as adrenaline was pumping high. The next thing I knew was the time was 9.30pm when the matches ended and it was time to go home!

Wimbledon was a great experience. Court One made it even more special. Now when I read the papers and tennis talk with my colleagues, I know what's happening and who's who in Wimbledon.

What you don't see from ESPN is the preparation

...and that dressing smart is only half of what you see

Going to see a match and seeing it in the news are two very different experiences altogether. I have learnt something new too - the tennis ball is in bright yellow because it will appear the clearest in TV at ambiance temperature. Now for my next learning experience - a football match.