Crisp Whites and Pimm's
advertisment
More in SPORT
back-up- 10 Annoying Things About Wimbledon
- Let’s Vote for John Sergeant!
- Let's Hear it For the Americans
- 10 Signs Football is Going Mad
- The Sport of Watching the Olympics
- The Award for Best Simulation Goes To...
- Why Hamilton Will Win the Grand Prix
- Alternative Summer Sports
- Euro 2008 - Whom Will You NOT Support?
- Why Bankers Like Cricket
Ready for Wimbledon? We're not either. But together we'll get there - us by writing and you by reading the HITC Wimbledon Guide.
Following is enough to hold a high-level conversation about the happenings in SW19 (or a party in your postcode).
- Serbian top seed and world number one Ana Ivanovic is pretty cute, and even former champ and commentator Virginia Wade has commented on her good legs.
- Boris Becker will return as one of the BBC's commentators. Whether he's booked a table at Nobu for a rainy day is yet to be confirmed.
- As always, the dress code for players is 'predominately white', which last year had the referee reach for his rule book when France's Tatiana Golvin showed up for her match in red knickers. (She was allowed to keep them on - apparently undies are exempt from the rule.)
- Only last year was the prize money for men's and women's winners made the same; previously, men's was higher. Given than men play best of five sets and women play best of three, this makes Wimbledon one of the only places on earth where women are better paid. (Singles winners receive £750,000, and Doubles winners, £222,900).
- Henman Hill (the area where those without tickets can watch matches on big screens) is retired with Tim Henman's retirement from professional tennis. It remains to be seen if it will be resurrected Mount Murray, as named for Britain's (note: not England's) number one, Scot Andy Murray.
- Roger Federer will be going for his sixth consecutive Wimbledon title this year, although as he was recently thrashed by Raphael Nadal, we're not sure how successful he'll be.
- Ralph Lauren designed the uniforms worn by ball girls and boys, which is surprisingly, given that his roots are in Belarus, not Britain.
- If you want to try to attend a match, you can try to buy one of the 500 tickets released each day for each of the Centre, Number 1 and Number 2 courts each day (except for the last four days). Note that we said 'try'.
- If you don't want to try, you can have your own Wimbledon party. Just add jugs of Pimm's, bottles of Champagne and plenty of strawberries and cream. And red knickers, for good measure.
