Splendor in the Grass

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Long before she stole our hearts as Britain's most famous younger sister. PIPPA MIDDLETON had another national stage in mind: Centre Court Wimbledon. As the days of strawberries. Pimm's and tennis whites arrive. V.F.'s newest contributing editor writes about her best (and most nostalgie) Wimbledon experiences, chats with Roger Federer, and shares strategies for a fortnight's fun at the All England Club

I first went to Wimbledon when I was eight years old and already a very keen tennis player. I told myself I was destined to be the next big thing in British tennis—my birthday, coincidentally, falls on the same date as that of two British former No. l’s, Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski: surely it was a sign. During this first trip I acted on my childish tennis dreams and bought myself a postcard of the women’s championship trophy, on which I wrote, “I will win this one day,” with my signature below. I was a tomboy and clearly very determined. It was a similar sort of thing when, out of the blue, I stated to my family that if I had to get married, it would be in my tennis whites—shorts with no pleats or frills. I’ve grown out of my tomboy phase, but there’ll be no white dresses this summer, apart from at my local tennis club.

A day out at Wimbledon is still one of the highlights of my summer. I might not be British No. 1, but I still get the tennis bug during the tournament. Getting there can be a chaotic scrum, what with the nearly half a million tennis enthusiasts descending upon that tiny corner of South West London. But you can keep cool by convincing yourself it’s all part of the experienceshuffling in and out of the sporting crowds, rolling over Murray Mound (a grassy picnic spot where you can watch Centre Court and No. 1 Court on big TV screens), and soaking up the atmosphere, come rain, drizzle, or shine. Inside the grounds, it’s heaven: you’re hit by the sophisticated, well-groomed Britishness that the All England Club does so well and, of course, good-natured queuing! But the British reserve is far from apparent as tennis fans from all over the world join to cheer on their favorites. Thankfully, this thrilling fortnight is creeping close, so I’ve scribbled down some of my Wimbledon wisdom.

WEATHER OR NOT

I've experienced every eventuality at Wimbledon: hunched under an umbrella, basking in hot sunshine (amongst lobster-pink Brits), and shivering as dusk falls when play is still going on and the temperature has dropped to the mid-50s. Here in England, obviously, you have to prepare for all weather surprises, so bring everything from sunblock and sunglasses to a mackintosh and umbrella.

CENTRE COURT THIS WAY

Before you go: download the Wimbledon app and map of the grounds. They are a fair walk (about 15 to 20 minutes) from Southfields tube station, so leave the stilettos at home. Or hop into the "sharing taxis" just outside the tube, which cost £2.50. Also: bicycling there is a great way to beat the traffic!

UNFORCED ERRORS

Leave enough time to get to the tennis! I always underestimate the time it takes to get everywhere and so feel in a rush. If you're lucky enough to get Centre Court tickets, never, ever make evening plans. Now that there's a fancy new roof, you could find yourself there until 11 P.M. (the latest time play can finish), and the atmosphere can get pretty intense. There's nothing worse than having to leave Rafael Nadal's athleticism for a routine pizza with friends.

FIVE WIMBLEDONSN SNAPSIIOTS

1 Queuing from five A.M. on "People's Sunday" in 2004 with my sister for three hours and getting £35 tickets on Centre Court—my first time ever. Typically, the first Sunday of the tournament is a day off, but on a few recent occasions rain has stopped play so frequently that the championships were forced to use People's Sunday to catch up on matches. Seats were a free-for-all—and I recall almost tripping over myself trying to get as close as possible to my birthday-twin British hero Tim Henman.

The atmosphere was electric—more of a carnival than a glorified garden party, which it so often is—and for once crowds were thankful for the British rain.

2 I love hearing the crowd noise from other courts—it makes me want to be on every court all at the same time. There is always a slight delay between live play and the cheering from Murray Mound, which is quite funny.

You know the crowd is having fun and enjoying a match if the Wave starts—it puts everyone in good sporting spirits. We stiff Brits do take some time to warm up! But Wimbledon usually works its magic.

A The John Isner/ Nicolas Mahut encounter in 2010 was epic—we were all captivated watching it on TV at home. It was referred to as the "endless match," but after 11 hours and 5 minutes of play over three days, Isner finally beat Mahut, 6~4, 3-6, 6-7, 7-6, 70-68.

5 I also love the Wimbledon pigeons. The live television coverage occasionally zooms in on these familiar tennis mascots as they roost and lark about during match play. It would be a shame if Rufus (see page 84) did his job too well and scared them all off.

“WIMBLEDON REMINDS EVERYONE OF THE HERIT OF THE GAME."

All England Club head coach Dan Bloxham

TOP SEEDS

Some of the most memorable experiences I've had at Wimbledon have been watching the action on the outer courts. Games can become really exciting, particularly during Week One, and in Week Two you can spot up-and-coming young juniors and get a real sense of the ball speed. You might have to dodge the occasional furious serve or stray backhand, but you'll get to hear tactics being muttered under breath and see the sweat dripping from exhausted foreheads. Those wanting to flee work for some championship action can get a reduced ticket rate after five P.M.—perfect for an evening tennis fix! -

The Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum is jam-packed with an unrivaled collection of artifacts and tidbits of history, so it's worth a visit if you have a spare half an hour. This season, there's a glamorous new exhibition that explores tennis on the Riviera.

RISING IN THE RANKINGS

This year I’ll be looking out for: (1) and (2) British youngsters Heather Watson and Laura Robson are slated for the main draw. (3) Alexandr Dolgopolov, whose father coached Andrei Medvedev. (4) Grigor Dimitrov—not only exciting to watch but easy on the eye for the ladies! Dimitrov is a former winner of the Wimbledon and U.S. Open junior titles. (5) Sloane Stephens, the all-court big hitter. (6) Kristina Mladenovic, from France, a six-foot-one blonde who cites grass as her favorite surface. (7) and (8) Kyle Edmund and Oliver Golding, two other young British players, will be hoping for a wild card.

Days of Pimm sand Strawberries

I know it's cliched, but there's nothing better than watching the dramas unfold on the court whilst eating juicy strawberries and sipping Pimm's No. 1 Cup. (Roughly 200,000 glasses of the stuff get glugged during the Wimbledon fortnight.) If I'm feeling greedy, this is followed by a post-match debriefing over a classic cream tea: scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam, and buttery white-bread finger sandwiches (crusts off) filled with thinly sliced cucumber, tomato, or smoked salmon with plenty of salt and pepper. Bath buns— round, rich, lemony sweet rolls topped with sugar crystals—are another favorite.

Gussie Moran's risque tennis outfit, designed by Ted Tinling, caused a sensation at the 1949 Wimbledon because of her lace-trimmed knickers. Tinling, in his book Sixty Years in Tennis, wrote, "The situation snowballed out of all proportion.... A racehorse, an aircraft and a restaurant's special sauce were named after her. She was voted the best dressed sports woman by the US Fashion Academy."

Wimbledon Whoops

I was at Wimbledon with my dad watching Tim Henman and Pete Sampras play. We were sitting quite close to the players' court entrance. When Tim Henman walked onto the court, the crowd cheered him, and as he neared our seats my dad mistakenly yelled, "Come on, Pete!" That was embarrassing. /

This poster is a tennis classic with another famous bum! All the boys at school had this on their bedroom walls. I've been sent similar cheeky ones by friends over the years, including this Happy Birthday card from my grandparents when I was 15—if only they'd known what was to come!

COURT REPORT

1 "If," by Rudyard Kipling: An extract from the poem appears above the players' entrance to Centre Court: "If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster / And treat those two imposters just the same..."

2 Pony-drawn roller: The first men's tennis championship was held in 1877 to raise funds for a pony-drawn roller for the club's croquet lawns. Hence its name: the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.

3 Hawk-Eye: Four courts, including Centre Court and No. 1 Court, are equipped with Hawk-Eye cameras to help decide line calls. These courts now have 10 cameras each.

4 Rufus the hawk: Hawks and falcons were introduced to the club in 1999 as an environmentally friendly scare factor to keep the pigeon numbers down. A raptor is flown each morning and evening of the championships, preand post-play. Rufus, a Harris's hawk, is the most famous—he was stolen from the club last year but was later found unharmed, with only his feathers ruffled.

5 A golden set: This occurs when the winner concedes no points in a set. It was first accomplished in the Open era by Bill Scanlon in 1983 and not again until Yaroslava Shvedova did it in 2012—her racket is displayed in the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum.

6 Wimbledon grass: Ryegrass is used exclusively, owing to its durability. Expert research has shown that a cut height of eight millimeters, which has been the standard since 1995, is the optimum for present-day play. All the courts are mowed, rolled, and re-lined daily during the championships.

7 Strawberries: The official Wimbledon strawberry is the Elsanta variety. On average, 112,000 punnets of strawberries are eaten over the fortnight. They are picked in Kent the day before being served and are delivered to Wimbledon at around 5:30 A.M. for inspection and hulling.

8 Wimbledon club colors: These were initially blue, yellow, red, and green but changed in 1909 to dark green and purple after it was discovered that the former colors were too similar to those of the Royal Marines.

9 Trophy trivia: The Ladies' Singles silver salver trophy is known as the Rosewater Dish and was first presented in 1886. It's decorated with a mythological scene featuring the figure of Temperance seated on a chest with a lamp in her right hand and a jug in her left. The Gentlemen's Singles silver gilt cup was first presented in 1887 and has an inscription that reads, "The All England Lawn Tennis Club Single Handed Championship of the World." It stands 18 inches high, but winners receive only a three-quarter-size replica cup (13.5 inches) bearing the names of all past champions.

10 Tennis balls: There have been no changes to the specifications of the ball since 1995. Fifty-four thousand Slazenger balls are used during the tournament, and the tins are opened only on court.

BEST-DRESSED

The umpires and ball boys and girls, dressed in Ralph Lauren, always get the Wimbledon look right—of course—but I love seeing how their outfits have changed over the years.

Questions for Roger Federer

How many tennis balls do you hit a day? "A few thousand a day—but it's about quality, not quantity." What does breakfast consist of? "Eggs with toast, cinnamon porridge with berries and roasted nuts." What's your secret form of energy? "A healthy lifestyle—lots of water, enough sleep, and Swiss chocolate." Best thing about playing at Wimbledon? "It was my childhood dream to play there—the tradition, innovation, and prestige of the tournament inspired me, as did my heroes and idols." Is it true that the winner of the men's and women's championships have to dance together at the Wimbledon-ball after-party? "Unfortunately not anymore—I would have had some nice dancing partners over the years and would certainly be a better dancer today."