The UK has been going tennis crazy this week as the tennis tour has come to Wimbledon’s All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Murray Mania is only just starting and is most definitely set to continue if Andy Murray makes it through to the second week at Wimbledon. We’ve been getting into the swing (ha!) of it here with swingball in the office, although it was quickly vetoed by the bosses who seem to think a peaceful working environment is what we need to make sure we bring you the best deals.
Tennis has long been seen as one of the elite sports that you can’t play, or even watch, if you’re on a bit of a budget. But that’s not quite true, and there’s no better time to get into the sport than during Wimbledon Fortnight.
by adactio
The easiest way to get involved is to watch the coverage on good old Auntie Beeb. The BBC has great coverage on the TV as well as online so you’ll be able to tuck into many a bowl of strawberries and cream in front of the action. Just maybe save the munching until after Murray has played, you don’t want to be yelling and eating, it’s not a good look!
Going to Wimbledon needn’t be the expensive ticket buying crazy queueing circus that it’s made out to be either. Well, sure, if you want Centre Court tickets to the men’s final you’ll have to fork out a lot but there’s other ways. Head to the All England Club about 6pm and you can go to the returned tickets booth. Here you can buy tickets for all the major courts thanks to the people who decided to go home early, and even better, the money goes to charity!
by SPakhrin
Alternatively, you can get a ground ticket with minimal queueing, especially on finals weekend when it’s really cheap too. You’ll be able to watch the big screen on Henman Hill or any of the action on the outside courts, which is quite fun as you might see some of the greats of the past on the seniors tour or one to watch in the future.
If playing is more your thing, there are more and more chances to get yourself on one of the free courts around the country. The internet is wonderful for checking out this sort of thing, or have a look in your local parks to see if you can spy a neglected court. Then all you need is a couple of rackets and a ball and you’re good to go! I think it’s easiest to start with imitating the grunting and then work up to the shots from there.
top image by Marc Di Luzio