Before the tennis can come to life at the All England Club, the Grounds themselves are quietly humming, alive with activity in the waning pre-Championships days as everyone prepares for Monday, not least the players.
This is the calm before the Wimbledon storm, yet a stroll through the Grounds this week finds a rumble of activity… from final gardening touches being made to TV cameras being tested, lines being painted on court and a whole lot of practice sessions – both at the practice courts at Aorangi Park and on the Championships courts.
No.1 Court certainly stands out with its new retractable roof, but so too does the entire wall of the court surrounding the big screen that faces The Hill. That wall is now covered in greenery and flowers, much like the rest of the Grounds.
While the sideways-growing purple flowers blow in the breeze, the line-review team is busy checking its system just a few metres away on Court 18. They are actually using CDs (yes, you remember the 90s!) laid out on the court to make sure that the cameras are aligned correctly. No small matter.
Coming from Aorangi and headed to the Championships courts are Stan Wawrinka, three-time major champion, and German youngster Alexander Zverev. They’ve just had separate hit-ups at the practice facility and now they’re off to Court 10 to do a little friendly battle.
Wawrinka has coaches Magnus Norman and Dani Vallverdu beside him, while trailing a bit behind is Zverev’s coach, the great Ivan Lendl, who chats with a group of people, sunglasses on, with seemingly few cares in the world.
Just a stone’s throw from Court 10 is Court 8, butted up against the No.3 Court. It’s here that Roger Federer is hitting with Radu Albot, the most successful tennis player in Moldova’s history. Federer and Albot had walked together to Court 8 casually talking, Federer with no bag in tow (that was left to his team), while Albot, barely five feet nine inches (175 cm) is nearly dwarfed by his bag, over both his shoulders like a schoolboy.
A day earlier, Federer had been on the same court for a video shoot with an exclusive magazine (sorry, no hints!), running through camera angles with a producer and then chatting to a group of ball boys and girls for the video, who have two bowls of strawberries and cream on a bench next to them.
Federer ends that feature video on Centre Court (of course!), which these days is utterly quiet, much like No.1 Court. At one point a group of Groundstaff come on to Centre Court with a large white bag, cutting it open to reveal a tightly rolled net. They carefully place the wooden posts into the ground, pulling the net from one side to the next. It looks pristine.
Most of the Championships courts are without nets… they’re not needed – yet. Scoreboards are blank, with the Wimbledon logo and the time of day, or a message in red that says, simply, “Test Data.”
But Court 15 has a net up, which is being used by Grigor Dimitrov, a semi-finalist in 2014, and 2010 runner-up Tomas Berdych. Dimitrov has the legendary Andre Agassi in his ear, the 1992 winner an advisor and coach to the Bulgarian for parts of the last few months.
Look with a focused eye around the Grounds at any point and you’ll see something of interest within the checklist-like atmosphere. There’s John Isner with his wife, carrying their pram up the steps by the Members’ Lawn. And there’s Monica Puig, the 2016 Olympic gold medallist, opening the door to Centre Court to head back to the locker room.
Maria Sharapova, the champion here in 2004, walks slowly back from the practice courts with her team in tow. The Bryan brothers practise with the new duo of Mate Pavic and Bruno Soares. Late Tuesday afternoon, a group of Club members play organised matches so the ball boys and girls can get in their final steps.
Little is left to chance.
Carts are pushed from one location to the next. Food moves, as do plants and supplies for inside the Broadcast Centre. No crowds fill the Grounds – as they will come Monday. No one calls out for a Federer, Sharapova or Zverev autograph. It’s peaceful.
Large groups of workers move around for tours or meetings. There's a younger bunch that looks as though they are on a day-one orientation. Security is in full force, already fitted with their smart suits and hats. They stand at attention by assigned posts.
The most intense activity is happening, of course, at Aorangi. There’s Serena Williams, engaged in hard hitting rallies, bashing the ball from the baseline. Can she win title number eight here this year? She was oh so close in 2018.
Garbiñe Muguruza, the 2017 winner, hones her serving skills by placing cans in the corner of the service box. She nails one can with a beauty out wide. But it’s on to the next, no time to celebrate…
A tennis nerd would eye so many names to recognise: Dominic Thiem, Svetlana Kuznetsova, youngster Felix Auger-Aliassime and Frenchman Lucas Pouille, with coach Amelie Mauresmo looking on.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has his little son, Wimbledon accreditation on, with him. Rafael Nadal travels with his entire entourage back from a practice, caked in sweat. The players utilise the new fitness area at Aorangi (previously two practice courts) for stretching, warming up and cooling down. Naomi Osaka gets a massage. She has her earphones in and eyes closed.
For the All England Club is tennis’ most quintessential village. And it’s just coming to life for another thrilling Fortnight. Soon we’ll all be invited in to join the madness: another two weeks of history-making tennis.
