Perhaps, people are puzzled that Wimbledon, which clings to a tradition that has no value and no meaning, can survive to this day.
But in fact, in the world of tennis, from professionals to professional players to senior fans, Wimbledon has always had a unique status.
Going to Wimbledon every year is a pilgrimage——
This year, it's even more true.
The wave of "Big Four VS Challengers" is gradually pushing to a new level. Wimbledon will become the last fortress. No matter who can win the championship in the end, the audience arriving at the scene will witness the birth of history on the front line. It is just imagination.
Suddenly, I was so excited that I couldn't calm down.
Moreover, the WTA is also waiting for history. Serena Williams has won the US Open, Australian Open and French Open consecutively. If she can reach Wimbledon again, she will win the "Serena Slam" for the second time in her career -
—Not the four Grand Slams in a calendar year, but still the top four consecutively.
From the ATP competition to the WTA's dominance, this year's Wimbledon holds so many topics that absolutely no one wants to miss.
As a result, countless fans came from all over the world and crowded into the small town of Wimbledon to witness history.
Today, the first ray of morning light has just fallen, and Wimbledon, which is gradually waking up, is already slowly becoming lively.
In that compartment, the fans queuing up to buy tickets were winding all the way, and the vast green field was so crowded that it was impossible to calculate——
Two thousand people? Five thousand people? Ten thousand people?
Numbers have long lost their meaning. They are crowded one after another, and there is a lot of people, but an orderly scene is slowly unfolding in the field of vision.
It's like a magnificent painting.
In this section, fans who are planning to watch the game in the stadium and are not in a hurry to buy special games, and fans who are not planning to buy tickets to enter the stadium at all, also have their own ways to enjoy Wimbledon. Similarly, this is also something that the other three Grand Slams do not have.
culture:
"Mount Murray".
There is a small hill covered with green grass in the center of the All England Club stadium, where you can see the giant screen of the central court, which is the same height as the stadium——
Although it is impossible to feel the speed and power of tennis at close range at the scene, watching from the TV broadcast signal can capture the details of the game more comprehensively; at the same time, those gathered outside the central court can watch it at close range for the first time through a wall.
Feel the atmosphere inside the stadium.
Every year, countless fans come to this hill to taste strawberries with cream, bring picnic cloths, drink beer, chat and relax while watching the game. Even if they have no way to enter the stadium, they enjoy Wimbledon in their own way.
This is an event for everyone.
In the beginning, this hillock was not named by this name. It had another romantic name, "Aorangi-Terrace".
Once upon a time, very, very far away, before the All England Club was established, or even before the birth of tennis, this was the original site of the New Zealand Rugby Club. Later, after many changes, it evolved into the now famous All England Club, and gave birth to this sport.
Centenary race.
In order to remember and pay tribute to the New Zealand Rugby Club, the Wimbledon Organizing Committee named this small hill after the Aoraki Peak in the Cook Mountains, the highest peak in New Zealand. "Aorangi" is New Zealand Maori, meaning "Long White Cloud"
, generally refers to the magnificent scene of mountains and glaciers.
"Aoraki Balcony" later became a continuation of British picnic culture due to an accident of chance.
If you are an American, a picnic often means vodka, whiskey and sandwiches. It starts with beer, but gradually evolves into a crazy alcohol party. Anyway, people can be crazy about alcohol at any time and anywhere, but the British are not.
Won't.
Of course, the British also love alcohol, very much, but alcohol belongs to bars; when going for a picnic, it is a time of relaxation just like afternoon tea, with desserts paired with drinks, chatting, reading, music, and at most some beer.
, and then enjoy some movies or stage plays, tennis is also an option.
Picnic culture has always been a very important part of British daily life. However, in the early days, when television broadcasts and transportation conditions were not so developed, people did not associate picnics with Wimbledon and Aoraki Balcony.
A turning point in the 1990s:
Tim Henman turned to professional tennis in 1994 and in just two years has grown into the number one men's singles player in the UK.
In 1996, Henman carried the country's hopes and reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, reviving the British hope of becoming the Wimbledon champion.
Gradually, people began to come to Wimbledon spontaneously. Audiences who could not buy tickets or did not buy tickets spontaneously gathered at the Aoraki Balcony and moved the traditional British picnic culture here while eating.
Strawberries and ice cream while watching the football game.
At that time, people didn't even know that this small hill had an official name, so they called it "Henman Mountain" from word of mouth. Obviously, people came here just to watch the Henman game; over time, people also forgot about the Austrian hill.
The official name of Laki Balcony has found a more catchy name.
It is very, very regrettable that from 1996 to 2004, Henman's performance has been stable and outstanding. Except for stopping in the fourth round in 2000, he advanced to the quarterfinals in all eight years and advanced to the semifinals four times, but he has never been able to break through the shackles.
Entering the final, the British's hopes of winning the title were, like football, shelved, shelved, and shelved again.
In 2007, Henman announced his retirement.
At that time, Murray had already entered the professional arena in 2005, and reached the US Open final for the first time in his career in 2008, becoming the new flag of British tennis; but when he came to Wimbledon, people still used to call Aoraki Balcony.
"Henman Mountain" pays tribute to a generation of legends.
In 2009, 2010, and 2011, Murray reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon for three consecutive years, and ushered in an explosion in 2012. He first reached the final at Wimbledon and became the first to reach Wimbledon in 74 years.
The British reached the final, but unfortunately lost to Federer and failed to reach the top; but in the following London Olympics, Murray defeated Djokovic and Federer successively and won the gold medal at Wimbledon.
Slowly, slowly, Murray finally took over Henman's flag, so "Henman Mountain" became "Murray Mountain"——
Now, the local fans who come to Wimbledon every year come for Murray.
In 2013, Murray reached the final for the second consecutive year and swept Djokovic to win the championship. He became the first local player to reach the top of Wimbledon in 77 years since 1936 and the first in the Open era.
A local player reached the top of Wimbledon and wrote history.
Up and down, there was joy, which also brought Murray's local fame to a whole new level.
It can be seen from last year's situation that more and more fans are gathering at Murray Hill, hoping to watch the games of local heroes up close.