Wimbledon Village: A Vibrant Tennis Haven During the London Grand Slam

Located a few minutes walk from the London Grand Slam stadium, Wimbledon Village comes alive during the fortnight, in a country hamlet atmosphere.

“Here, we are really in the countryside. You breathe”. When Arnaud Clément, former world top 10, evokes Wimbledon Village, we quickly understand the singular dimension of this place. Less than a kilometer from the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC), this small village lives to the rhythm of the tournament. Reputed to be calm throughout the year, its four main streets come alive during the fortnight of the London Grand Slam. The restaurants and bars are full for lunch and dinner. Cars and buses circulate in large numbers, and passers-by are sometimes touching on the sidewalks. Sunday morning, on the eve of the opening of the tournament, a small market made up of a dozen traders attracts the crowd, before or after brunch. The atmosphere of Wimbledon begins to wake up, slowly.

“A lot of locals leave the village during the tournament, because they don’t like it being so crowded. So they rent their house,” testifies Philip, owner of the Wimbledon bookstore for fifteen years. If the restaurants are very popular, the shops are a little quieter than usual. “People come here to watch tennis, not to buy a book,” concedes the bookseller.

Showcases in the colors of the tournament

More than the many visitors, it is the shop windows, bars and restaurants that catch the eye. Decorated in the colors of the tournament, they highlight, each in their own way, tennis rackets and balls, the essential accessories of the fortnight. Painting on shop windows, floral compositions or sculptures on groves, not one is missing.

A competition for the most beautiful showcase is even organized each year. “Ten years ago, the Wimbledon Shopkeepers Association held a window dressing competition. It’s a great competition and the public can vote”, slips us Ben, owner of the bar the Hemingway’s, who has yet to win but finished third last year. For this edition, he opted for the pictorial representation on the windows of his pub of the winners of the tournament for ten years.

Ben, owner of the Hemingways bar, has chosen to represent in drawings on his windows, the male and female winners of Wimbledon for ten years. (APOLLINE MERLE / FRANCEINFO SPORT)

Ben relishes having found the affluence of before Covid. “In 2020 there was no tournament. And for the last two years there were still restrictions. For us it was hard because during the fortnight, normally we have people every day like a Saturday . We’re making a lot of money for the year. Luckily, everything seems to be back to normal.” If many tourists come to discover this vibrant neighborhood atmosphere to the rhythm of the little yellow ball, the players and their staff also like to walk there.

“The village is super preserved and really cute. You can walk around, go do your little shopping, have breakfast.”

Arnaud Clément, former world top 10 and consultant for franceinfo: sport

at franceinfo: sport

“Often players rent houses or apartments with a small English garden, very well maintained”, recalls Arnaud Clément, former world top 10 and consultant for france info: sports. “Here, we live completely differently from other tournaments. It’s a parenthesis compared to the way of life in the season. At nightfall, you can even see a fox in the middle of the street.”

“One year we had Andy Murray”

“Every year, it’s the same atmosphere. There are a lot of people during the tournament that pass through the village. And even players, smiles Rawad, 16, who has been hired for the summer as a waiter at the small café Maison St Cassien. “One year we had Andy Murray, and not long ago Grigor Dimitrov. You can also see on the walls everyone who came here”, says the young waiter, pointing to the snapshots. Many frames adorn the walls of the establishment. Inside, photos, sometimes a little yellowed by time, of the greatest players with their dedication: like those of Maria Sharapova, Andre Agassi or Andy Murray.

Even pet stores, hairdressers and beauty salons play the game, July 2, 2023. (APOLLINE MERLE / FRANCEINFO SPORT)

Wimbledon Village also benefits from the attractiveness of the Queen’s tournament, which takes place just before the Grand Slam, in order to gradually increase the excitement. “When the Queen’s tournament starts, you can already see players here, with their teams. And there are also those who work at Wimbledon, who are there long before the start of the tournament, to maintain the courts, install all the equipment necessary. They are all there between two and three weeks before”, explains Ben.

Federer without money

Here, everyone has their story with players. The bookseller Philip has seen a good number of players, current and former, in his shop, in particular Americans like John and Patrick McEnroe, Tracy Austin, Pam Shriver, Lindsay Davenport or Martina Navrátilova. “But above all, we used to see Roger Federer here every year. He would come with his binoculars, he would sit by the windows and read them stories. And then he bought books. But since he never had any money on him, it was his father who always had to pay.” he remembers, amused.

“We never bothered him. And one day, maybe six or seven years ago, a customer recognized him and asked him for a photo. He agreed, but then he never came back again. , because he wanted a place where he would not be disturbed.”

Philip, owner for fifteen years of the Wimbledon village bookshop

at franceinfo: sport

“Last year, Dan Evans came for a drink, the day he was eliminated. And we also receive a lot of coaches, some of whom had already come last year”, he smiled proudly.

For ten years, a competition for the most beautiful shop window has been organized each year by the Wimbledon Merchants’ Association. (APOLLINE MERLE / FRANCEINFO SPORT)

In the evening, the village comes alive, becomes more festive, and the flow of cars and tourists becomes denser. Because at the end of the day, spectators often head for the village to end the day with a drink. “When the matches end, between nine and eleven o’clock, people arrive and the restaurants and bars fill up little by little,” explains Ben, between serving two tables.

As Ben, Philip and Rawad share this feeling of “privilege” to work here. “The other years, I used to follow the matches at the stadium or on TV, says Rawad, who has always lived in Wimbledon Village. This year, it will be more difficult since I am working. But I’m really excited to work in this unique place and atmosphere.”

2023-07-08 04:58:56
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