Summer has officially arrived in the UK, and with that means Wimbledon has now hit our screens. Now, I’m sure there are many people who this means nothing to, so let me explain: Wimbledon is a famous tennis tournament which takes place in Wimbledon, London for a period of two weeks each summer. This year it’s taking place from the 29th June until the 12th July. Wimbledon, along with the Australian Open, the French Open and the US Open make up the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, which are also known as Majors.
I personally never used to be a fan of tennis. I was terrible when I had to play it during my PE lessons when I was at school, and was never interested in the sport, probably because I couldn’t play it well! However, a few years later I discovered Wimbledon, and by discovered I mean actually became interested and started watching tennis.
The tournament attracts all the famous tennis stars, from the Williams sisters to Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. For Great Britain we have Andy Murray, who’s currently ranked world no. 3 and actually won the tournament back in 2013, so British people will obviously be hoping for a repeat of that this year.
If you go to watch Wimbledon live, be prepared to queue; most people get there for 6 am, with some even camping overnight to try and get their hands on the well sought-after tickets. Another staple part of Wimbledon is the strawberries and cream, the classic food which is served during the tournament, which has been a part of the tournament ever since it was launched in 1877. With Wimbledon being played during summer, I think strawberries and cream is the perfect choice of food to complement watching the tennis, in what should be nice summer weather. It’s also something typically British, that makes me instantly think of summer and Wimbledon.
I’ve never been lucky enough to watch Wimbledon in the flesh, so looks like I’ll be watching it from my TV again this year. Hopefully one day I’ll be able to get tickets, as nothing compares to actually being there and watching it live. During my last few weeks in Paris I managed to watch the French Open final when they broadcast it on screens by the Eiffel Tower, so hopefully they will do something similar over here with Wimbledon. Just hopefully the weather will stay nice for it, as everyone knows what a British summer can be like!
Do you like watching or playing tennis?