There is something about Wimbledon that makes it one of the most anticipated, prestigious, and watchable sporting events of the year. Even if you are not a tennis enthusiast, you may be caught watching the game, surreptitiously, from the corner of your eyes. There is a lure to this two-week grass-court tennis tournament that escapes rational explanation. I have often wondered what makes Wimbledon ( or the All England lawn tennis and croquet championships, I prefer this beautiful long name to just Wimbledon championships) so special. If it is just about the quality of the tennis, it doesn’t make sense. There are three other Grand slams that play host to the best talent in the world. If it is about the Prize money, again, other tournaments pay equally or more. What then?
The allure of Wimbledon lies in its meticulous adherence to tradition, even if they seem outdated and parochial to modern eyes. The strict injunctions to players, the inviolable code of conduct, the overall ambiance of the place and traditions, gives Wimbledon an aura of royalty, and a sense of awe and veneration in the beholder’s and player’s eyes alike. For a tennis player or a fan, being at Wimbledon during the championships is like visiting a hallowed cathedral filled with pristine echoes of tennis legends, the legacy of the game and its purity bearing upon them. Wimbledon is the Mecca of tennis, not just for its lush grass courts, the sanctum sanctorum of the center court, or the balletic tennis played on it. It is the Mecca of tennis because it is maintained an unbroken tradition of sporting formalities, discipline, and conduct. It is “the” championship to win because winning means much more than just a winning tennis match, it is the equivalent of being honored by the highest court of nations for being a model citizen. For a tennis player to cement his or her place in history, they only have to win or come close to winning one Wimbledon championship, and nothing more. The rest of their accomplishments will become peripheral to this crown.
Since 1877, when the first lawn tennis championships were held, the tradition at Wimbledon remains unbroken, except during the period of the two world wars when it was suspended, and then in 2020, the tournament stood canceled due to the pandemic. In fact, in 1940, the center court was badly damaged, and it took several years to rebuild the stadium with expanded capacity. In all the other years, the start of the Wimbledon championship marked the beginning of summer, with an abundance of Strawberries and cream in signature Wimbledon bowls doing the rounds. It is a solemn ritual at the championships to have a bowl of fresh strawberries liberally topped with cream. A modest estimate indicates that several thousand servings are made each day from berries plucked from the nearby county of Kent. They arrive fresh at the Wimbledon facility each day morning around 5.30 A.M, and after inspection and cleaning, loaded to the stores. Over two weeks of the tournament, around 30000 Kgs of Strawberries are consumed along with 7000 liters of cream. That is a lot of collective fat for a sporting event. Typically English!!
Some of the most rigid rules of the Tournament are about the dress code. This may be bizarre to our modern generation; but, I find it extremely appropriate, beautiful, and necessary. Nothing but white is allowed on court. In 2014, the Wimbledon club, looking at the discretionary and often intransigent interpretation of the code by individual players, issued a fresh ten-part code for proper attire. The reissued clauses are almost prison-like in their wording and leave no scope for ambiguity. For instance:
“White does not include off-white or cream.”
“A single trim of color no wider than 1 cm”.
“Any (colored) undergarments that either are or can be visible during play (including due to perspiration)” — are not allowed.
So what is special about white. The answer is simple. White is the only color that doesn’t glaringly show off the perspiration. When two great competitors play the sport at the highest level, the rules and scaffolding for the game should be such that the viewers focus on the game and not on other distracting elements either on the court or off it. That is another reason, why, even today, the center and other courts at Wimbledon do not allow advertisement billboards along the railings. The idea is to keep commercialism to the minimum, at least on the court. These carefully thought out rules were formed in 1877, during Victorian times when modesty and decency were held paramount. It also brings about uniformity among players and forces them to focus on the game and nothing else. Personally for me, watching players fully attired in graceful white and prancing around a lush green grass court is aesthetically very pleasing. There is a dignity to the color white which lends a mysterious gravitas to any occasion, let alone the stage at Wimbledon.
Wimbledon is an embodiment of courtesy and dignity. What immediately comes to mind is the treatment of the BBG’s ( Ball boys and girls), their meticulous selection and exquisite training right from how to hold the ball to how it should be delicately and non-intrusively handed over, their beautiful Ralph Lauren designed dress code, and the special honor from the duke and duchess of Kent when the Royal couple spends a few moments with them chit-chatting on their way to the prize distribution podium. Only at Wimbledon, the men’s and Women’s events are still referred to as Gentlemen’s and Ladies’ events. If the lady is married, they would remember to address her as Mrs, if not, then Ms. For Men, no title is given. All these are vestiges of the British tradition of honor and dignity. They remind us that such virtues and curtsies are timeless and can never go out of vogue.
Let’s not forget that tennis was invented for grass courts, and meant to be played on them. While all the four Grand slam tournaments were originally played on grass, slowly, however, the Australian, French and American opens moved to clay surface and Artificial turfs. Wimbledon stubbornly held on to its grass. Scores of curators work year along to prune, nurture and maintain the lawns in their pristine condition. To make a grass court play-worthy, the grass must have just the right amount of sunshine and tensile strength to it. Only then will there be right bounce, unpredictability, and nip to the surface when the ball lands on it. It is the very unpredictability of the grass surface that adds to the charm of the surface and demands a different set of skills required to play on it. One of the reasons that tournament days at Wimbledon can never be moved around is due to the fact that the English weather being what it is, the grass is ripe enough to play only during the periods of late June and early July.
The ultimate test for any tennis player is to win the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year. Though the Grand slam is still the biggest achievement, most players will consider their careers fulfilled if they can win the French and Wimbledon, played within few weeks of each other. Both these tournaments are played on diametrically opposite surfaces, and the skills required on one surface are the antithesis of the other. In one, the ball travels slowly through the air and off the ground, in the other it zips and erupts; on clay, patience is a virtue, on grass quickness and agility is the key; on clay, one has to wear the opponent down; on grass, they have to be outwitted and outplayed; on clay, one cannot afford to be acrobatic, on grass, one can unconditionally leap, dance and attempt impossible shots.
The 134th edition of the Wimbledon championships began yesterday. As usual, rain delayed the start, and as always, the weather dictated the course of events. This is going to be an interesting two weeks. Lots of young talent on the wings and many of the veterans are perhaps playing their last few years of competitive tennis. We still have Federer and Djokovic in the gentlemen’s draw, and the William sisters ( Serena retired hurt as I wrote this piece) are there — what longevity for these ladies. Incredible! This tournament may throw up new champions, players who will shape the future of tennis, or it could be another round of victory for the favorites. When I watch Wimbledon, I don’t take sides. I just enjoy the spectacle. There was a time when Steffi Graf played, I would actually shut off the TV when she lost a point, but those days are gone. Today I watch the game with more equanimity, except when Federer plays. Though I know the man is past his prime, there is a part of me that fervently wishes he wins. His game, attitude, and poise on the court have taught me so many things. The champion played his first-round today and fortunately scraped through to victory. There were flashes of brilliance, but overall, the French man, his opponent, played a good game.
I look forward to watching some good tennis in the next two weeks. Wimbledon is always a spectacle to be cherished.
God bless…
yours in mortality,
Bala