LOVE ALL

No suspense in store for the contents of this blog. It is all about my trip to the most affluent area in London suburbs –the “WIMBLEDON “Town.

A thirty-minute ride in an elegant commuter train from Paddington took us to the Wimbledon town-what a gross change from the buzzling Central London to a calm little suburb! It did not take us long to figure out the bus that would take us to the most prestigious village of Lawn Tennis.

The next fifteen minutes was filled with all excitement and goose bumps-we were going to visit a place which is a dream destination for the tennis playing multitude; the place which creates histories of sorts; the place which changes the fortunes for many; the place that attracts crowds in tens of thousands to watch their heart-throb stars play. All the while, my mind was transported to my younger days – where I have seen my paternal uncle’s tennis racquet hanging on the living room, my sacred thread ceremony attended by our family friend “Tennis” Ramanathan Krishnan, my unsuccessful stints in the Court, the budding tennis player in my only nephew, the description by my sister of the Wimbledon’s famous strawberry with whipped cream and on and on… The bus pulling to the bus stop brought me back to the present.

We were few minutes ahead of the designated time slotted for the guided tour of the place. That gave us an ample time for us to stroll in the souvenir shop and museum.

What all you expect to see and buy in a games village shop is available in sort – showcasing the artistry and athleticism of the multimillion dollar profession of modern tennis. The kit used by Andy Murray after his momentous Men’s Singles Championship in the year 2013 is displayed. There! our masterfully informative Blue Badge guide has come…. After a small introduction, we were taken to the main entrance of the stadium. Along with her, I will take you also on a guided tour of the place!!

…. I am setting my foot inside. Our first destination is the Millennium Building which was officially opened by the Duke of Kent. Here we see the state of the art changing-rooms, a fully equipped gymnasium, massive lounge, interview rooms and a restaurant overseeing the southern courts. We are told that this building ensures privacy for the players from the spectators. Next, we are being walked to the Press interview room.

I recalled the interviews of the goliaths of Lawn tennis with the glittering shield by their side-remember the interview of Roger Federer as to how he practices and plans a year in advance for the grass court showdown of the titans Next we are being ushered to the master computer room-the enormity of the technology behind it was beyond my capacity to grasp!! The automated video highlights, the coded recordings of the rulings of umpire, the flicks of the line ball, the ball rubbing the net –  nothing escapes the computers! This advanced technology makes the fans experience very unique. We are said that all information collected are stored for posterity in the cloud!! Dazed with what all human brains can creatively do, we enter into the BBC broadcasting room. Just visualize the battery of commentators who takes us sitting in front of a television thousands of miles away, live into the stadium. We are allowed donning the roles of the celebrity commentators sitting in their seats with BBC Sports logo behind us. For a moment, we think that we are ace analyst of the game.

Before we submerged fully into the act and could complete the process of cloning as a narrator, the guide reminds us that we still are visitors and all the while promising us the best thing is yet to come. Obediently(!) as always(!!) we follow our Blue Badged guide in a never ending f..l…e….e…..t  of steps  AND there we are…..to the CENTRE COURT.

I am sure you’d be transported to the era of the clash of titans of the likes Martina Navratilova, Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe, Boris Becker, Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer, the William sisters. I can understand the thrill and excitement you are experiencing. ditto for us too when we see the green rectangle embedded by a magnificent stadium. Images of the full packed stadium, ball boys and girls as agile as ever, the strength, stamina and tactfulness of the players, the erupting noise of the crowd silenced by a single call by the umpire’s ‘Silence please’ command(?!). I couldn’t believe that I am in a place so dear to my heart. The score board will have the names of the finalists and the score-it would remain till the next year’s tournament. Every nook and corner of the Court is so familiar as the back of my palm-thanks to the incandescent following of the game.

Half-heartedly we left the Centre Court – that being the penultimate item in the itinerary. The tickets to witness the matches in the Centre Court is done on bidding; draw of lots-registration to be made for public ballots-the conditions are never-ending.

The grand finale was the Hall of Fame- I felt like a time machine was unwinded to see the magnificent history of the oldest tennis tournament in the world unfurling in front of me. Few names were very well known, some were familiar, many I did not know-nevertheless, it does not matter in the century and a half old tussle. I saw the names of Ramanathan Krishnan, Leander Paes who added glory to our motherland. While coming out, we saw the huge open space where we have seen people thronging to view the matches on a huge screen.

We bade a goodbye to the Stadium and the guide with a hope to watch soon the finals in-person in the Centre Court with a handful of strawberry and cream. I know you’d also be tired walking all the way with us physically as well as down the memory lane.

Till I lace up for the next…

J.Ram