Wimbledon 2004
 

Hi! I just found out that we got 2 centre court tickets through the lottery for June 22nd. I'm still in shock!! We have a teen who is insisting we can't go without her:-) So, now we're hunting for a debenture ticket for that day. What classifieds can we look in to find one from a private owner who may not be out for $$$$$? The face value is 30 GSP. I can't find one for less than $700 which is a plane ticket from the states. Thanks, Susan.

if all else fails you should just try to get a ticket for the grounds- not center court. Once inside the grounds there are a lot of other matches to watchand enjoy. If I were you I'd wait until you were in London and figure it out. I do not know the schedule for Wimbledon, but June 22nd seems early on in the tournement and tickets will be easy to come by! Jut go early in the morning and you can wait in line for tickets!

Thanks for your response. We're probably going to do the "grounds thing" on Monday since there will be so many matches being played on the outside courts. I'm hoping for the centre court ticket so my family could all be together.

June 22 is the second day of Wimbledon. So, I'd wait until you got there. I can't believe it would be that difficult pick up a ticket for opening round matches.

HOwardR, I'm being told by Wimbledon that the first couple of days are really popular because there are so many matches being played. We should be able to get ground passes if we get there at 7:30. However, centre court would require us to camp out all night!

samejia, You've definitely heard correctly. The first couple of days can be wildly popular because the chance of seeing one or many of the best players somewhere on the grounds is maximized. And you 're right about having to line up overnight for one of the Centre or No 1 courts. But there are a couple of pluses to the grounds tickets. You're much closer to the action and can skip to another match if you encounter a dud. A few years back we got to watch Pete Sampras practice for an hour or so before a centre court match. Even that was memorable for a tennis fan.

Interesting about the first two days. I've been to the US Open and never noticed a similar situation on the first couple days. In fact, the stadium is half empty or even less filled.

HowardR, Some of it is just a numbers game. Flushing Meadows is a much bigger facility than Wimbledon. FM Center Court holds 23,000 people versus about 13,000 in Wimbledon. Also I think Wimbledon is a more popular event in England than the US Open is in the States.

Obxgirl, thanks for confirming what I was told about the first couple of days. Since you've been there, do the people with ground tickets wear jeans? I plan on wearing khakis for our Tuesday centre court match but I was hoping to be more casual on the day we have to wait in line for hours. Thanks, susan

Oh yes, wear what's comfortable. And don't forget the sunblock if it's a fair day.

Just the experience of being there and absorbing the atmosphere will be fun. So completely different from seeing it on the small screen.

Samejia, you lucky girl you. Unfortunately, I never sent in the request for lottery tickets this year. I went to Wimbledon last summer. (as one poster said at the US Open one can easily get tickets and at roland garros last summer I bought tickets on the street for the matches I wanted to see) But at Wimbledon it is very hard. Brokers wanted $700 to $900 and the good players rotate between Center court and Court ONe. The first day there was a rain storm so I didnt go at 5:30 as I thought I would. I got there at 9:30 am and got a grounds pass. When you see the long line, dont freak out. It is so well organized . Make sure you take a rain jacket and/or something plastic to sit on & an umbrella. It can be cool in the early morning. I had such a wonderful time. It is one of the great experiences of Wimbedon to stand in the lines. I met some terrific people and everyone saves your place in the line. The first day I was in line about 2 hrs. The second day I went earlier and the line was longer. The doors dont open until about 10-10:30. Also if one of the English players ie Tim Henman are playing, the line is longer. Perhaps one could get there earlier and hold the spot and the others meet a little later. Enjoy the experience.

Johanna, thanks so much for the advice. Does the line get so long that you see if while walking up from the underground stop? How do we know which line will be the grounds line? I was thinking of taking the tube to the stop past the "official" Wimbledon stop so we didn't have the walk up the hill. I can hear my daughter's complaining already:-) Susan

Hi Samejia,

It's quite a few years since I was lucky enough to get to Centre Court but there are a couple of points things that stick in mind which might help - they come with a health warning, however, as things may have changed. Maybe someone can correct me if I'm wrong.

Firstly, when I was there you could come & go from Centre Court as you pleased & there were no controls over who used the tickets - what I'm getting at is, if all 3 of you can get in the grounds then you can swap the 2 Centre Court tickets round between you & take turns at using them. I also seem to recall that spectators who left earlier in the day were encouraged to hand in their ticket-stubs on the way out & these were then re-sold at a pretty good discount. If the light is good the matches can go on pretty late & my recollection is that there were quire a few empty seats in Centre Court as the day drew on.

As other posters have said,however, the atmosphere around the outside courts is excellent & is still well worth experiencing - particularly early in the tournament.

All the best,

Jim

I recall that there were two lines for tickets, one on either side of the facility. Each line sold all ticket types, first come first serve, grounds, Centre Court or Court 1.

We've been twice and on both occasions have happily passed our passes onto others when we were done for the day. That was 3 years ago so don't know if "passing on" procedures have changed. Hope not.

As Jim reiterated, the atmosphere is worth the price of admission.

Hi Samejia

I've been to wimbles for the past 3 years - never managed to get court tickets but have queued every year for a ground pass.
I suspect that wimbledon is a very different experience to roland garros or the US open. Its extremely popular and court tickets are like golddust. Your best bet would be to queue up for a ground pass. I always make sure i'm in the queue by 7am as that way you are virtually certain of getting in to the ground and you will be in prior to the start of play. As you are going on the first tuesday you'll get to see some terrific matches on the outer courts. I saw goran in his 2nd round match on court 18 the year he won the title. The only thing is if you swopping between courts you probably wont get a seat as its very busy during teh first week. Courts number 3, 13, and 18 have proper seating if memory serves. I try and pick a court with 2 or 3 good matches so i can grab a seat straight away and not move for a bit. You will probably get away with swopping the centre court tickets between the 3 of you - But one thing i've done in the past is gone and spoke nicely to the security guard (the firemen who do the court security are usually the nicest)and if there is a spare seat they will usually let you sit in it - again don't bank on it but its worth a try! General things for wimbles are comfortable shoes, a mini radio so you can tune into radio wimbledon to keep up with scores and orders of play, water, sun cream and a hat and if you're unlucky a rain coat!! Be prepared to queue and remember that wimbledon is extremely busy and wasn't really designed for the popularity of the championships - its just a tennis club that happens to hold a grand slam! They have improved it over the years but to be honest thats part of the charm. Other useful info is on www.wimbledon.org

Hope this helps

Laney

I'd like to know where you're finding a plane ticket to London for $700 these days unless it is through Priceline!

Everyone: Thank you so much for your advice. I'm definitely going for the ground passes on our first day. In my discussions with the Wimbledon ticket office, you can come and go with the centre court tickets so swapping would work. I think I'm still going to buy a package for the 3rd ticket which would include the hotel.

JonJon, yesterday I found a British Airways flight from NY that was in the middle $600s. I can't remember the exact figure.

Laneycakes, the radio is a great idea. I forgot tennis is broadcast via radio in England. It's not in the States. Are we allowed to bring in a backpack to carry everything? Are we allowed to bring in snacks in addition to the water?
Again, thank you all so much. I'm really excited about our trip.

Hi Samejia,

Glad to see that your plans seem to be coming together. To be honest, I must admit that I had a little smile to myself when you asked if it would be OK to bring backpacks & snacks etc. Many of the spectators I saw looked as though they had brought most of the contents of their home freezers with them & could probably have fed the full Centre Court with some left to spare. It strikes me as a very "English" thing to pack these elaborate picnics with seemingly endless flasks of tea, sandwiches & chicken legs, but then I suppose I might be biased, being Scottish!

On a serious point, though, I suppose that in these days of hightened security maybe it would be wise to double check how the Wimbledon authorities view the issue of baggage etc.

Jim

Sorry Samejia,

I meant to mention in my last message that BBC Radio 5 also provides intensive coverage of the tournament.

Jim, great idea about checking about the security regarding the backpacks. We're not allowed to bring them into baseball stadiums anymore..... I just wanted to be able to save money on water and snacks during the day. Susan

Hi samejia

you should be fine with a small backpack - i always take a small pack or largeish shoulder bag with water and snacks as it is very expensive inside the club. security wise you'll have to be prepared to have your backpack searched (they search them all these days) but otherwise you should be fine, unless they change the arrangements from last year. most people have a bag with them and some even have their overnight gear (which many leave at teh left luggage facilities outside the gates). saying that though Over the past few years i've tried to limit what i take in so that i'm not stuck with a heavy bag all day. a bottle of water and a few snacks should be fine. 5and JJbhoy is right - five live also do great coverage of the tournament but radio wimbledon is the dedicated on site radio station so i prefer them!

Enjoy!

Hi Sameja: I was so surprised last yr. A group at a table I was sitting at on "Henman Hill had a full-course meal with salmon and Champagne BOTTLES. I was so surprised because at the other tennis events ans many of the football stadiums in US wouldnt let us bring in cans or bottles. These English people told me they had been doing it for years. Also, there is a tram that takes you up the hill from Wimbledon. If you can get in at the other side, I think that line goes faster. Have fun.

More questions:-)) I have a hotel dilema. I've been working feverishly to try to maximize our air/hotel points for free nights. I've managed to get one of our flights for free. The hotel is trickier. I can get 3 nights free stay at the Holiday Inn Express Victoria or 2 nights at the Holiday Inn Kensington, Victoria or Mayfair. We've extended our stay to 6 nights total. The first three would be in a Holiday Inn. The next night would be at the Sheraton Park Towers in Knightsbridge for "free" with our Sheraton points. Then we'd pay for 2 nights at the Sheraton through our tennis package in order to get the 3rd center court seat we need for my daughter. The Holiday Inn Express is further from the Victoria Station than I thought. The other 3 hotels are worth more points. I can't figure out which one is closest to all the attractions if we want to walk. From the pictures, the Mayfair looks wonderful and it's the closest to the Sheraton but we'd have to pay for one of the nights..... I'm hoping the Express Victoria would work but I'm nervous about it. Has anyone stayed there?? Thank you so much... Susan