Were an alien to land in London in the first two weeks of July and wonder what all this excited kerfuffle surrounding ‘Wimbledon’ is about, do direct them to the village itself.

Here, the tennis-themed shop and business windows provide a cheat sheet of info – visual aids, verbal mnemonics, witty slogans – conjuring the spirit of the hoo-hah being staged down the hill at the All England Club.

Yes, the annual community-led Village Tennis Window Competition can always be relied upon as a barometer of conditions for the approaching Championships.

Look no further than the window of Peacock & Co solicitors, which accurately forecast this rain-plagued year. 

Within a window framed by tennis balls, the slogan is Will Rain Stop Play? Above it, an arc of weather symbols spell out the inevitable options: Dramatic, Drizzly, Getting Brighter, Dazzling, Looking Good, Downpour and Blown Away.

All of which we’ve had, but 2024 has nothing on 1999.

Twenty-five years ago, heavy showers washed out play completely on the second Tuesday for the first time in two years, and the 30th time in 113 years.

That was the beginning of a sodden second week. Instead of forehands and backhands, spin and slice, newspaper reports overflowed with phrases like ‘between cloudbursts’, ‘through the mist’, ‘weather permitting’ and ‘blustery winds’.

Meteorological conditions did not permit a regular schedule at all: rain meant that the ladies’ and gentlemen’s semi-finals were all played on the second Saturday and were split between Centre and No.1 Court.

That involved Tim Henman and Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and Pat Rafter, Steffi Graf and Mirjana Lucic, Lindsay Davenport and Alexandra Stevenson.

Twenty-four hours later, for the only time in Wimbledon history, the finals of all five main events were played on the second Sunday.

What could be done to prevent such turbulence? "Inevitably, there was talk of a retractable roof that has not, and may never, be built at the All England Club," reported CBS News on June 29, 1991.

"Technology is not the issue, even if the surface is grass. Tradition and the English patience with the weather keeps it from happening," said Paul McNamee, director of the Australian Open.

Patience did eventually run thin. For the 2009 Championships, Centre Court had a retractable roof; 10 years later, No.1 Court, too, had the option of staving off hostile weather conditions, ensuring a full schedule of play. 

Unpredictable weather during a tournament is not exclusive to Wimbledon, but it has long been a particular part of spectator culture – and Championships history. Best-selling items at the Wimbledon shop in an average year are sun caps and umbrellas.

Needless to say, the encyclopaedic Wimbledon Compendium has an entire section dedicated to the subject, with sub-heads that include ‘First Weeks Badly Interrupted by Rain’, ‘Days Which Have Been Completely Rained Off’ and ‘Reduction of Sets Due to Rain’.

Interesting facts emerge: did you know that in an uninterrupted week, approximately 365 matches will be completed? 

Or that all courts had a cover available from 1971?

But thanks to the two roofs, fans today – on-site or watching remotely – are blown away… by tennis alone.