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BBC News
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Thousands queue for Wimbledon opening day
Wimbledon 2025Dates: 30 June-13 July Venue: All England ClubCoverage: Live across BBC TV, radio and online with extensive coverage on BBC iPlayer, Red Button, Connected TVs and mobile app. Full coverage guide The sight of thousands of people queuing in the hope of gaining entry to the grounds is one of the most celebrated quirks of Wimbledon, a tournament renowned for its strong ties to the influence of technology increases in sport, with this the first Championships without the presence of line judges, the sense of community and camaraderie apparent in the queue continues to not only endure, but long waits - those at the front of the queue arrived as early as noon on Friday to claim their spot - and soaring temperatures before the first day of action at SW19, there are few grumbles of discontent with the process as more than 10,000 people arrived at Wimbledon Park before the first day of play."It's just nice to be able to take time out of everything else. It's like being in a parallel universe," says Vicki Broad, from Neath in Wales, who along with husband Nigel are first in this year's queue."We've met people from all over the world, just chatting away and getting to know people."It's a community of people, all with a common goal. There are never any problems in the queue, the stewards run it so well."You know, the world's crazy at the moment. But it's like you take time out from that and you're all just talking about tennis, you're talking about where you come from, how long it took you to get here, how long you're staying for, it's just lovely." Queuing for access to the grounds and the limited show court tickets available - 500 tickets are available for Centre Court, Court One and court two - usually begins in Wimbledon Park the night before each day's the opening day, however, eager fans get into position as much as a couple of days is permitted until the 42,000 capacity is reached and the All England Club advised people to stop travelling once the queue exceeded 10,000 on Monday morning. Linda Jacobs flew in from Houston, Texas on Thursday night with her friend Aleta to arrive second in this year's queue, after being fifth last year."If you're going to fly that far, you want to make sure you get a really wonderful ticket!" said Jacobs."This is, like, the most genteel festival you can ever come to. It makes you love England. Everyone is so nice. You guys queue so well. I just fell in love with it when I came here." Being able to watch a specific player offers huge motivation for many in the visiting with friends from Madrid, said: "We were here last year to watch Carlos [Alcaraz] in the first round and our motivation for queueing was to see him play on Centre Court on the opening day."It's an incredible experience, very unique, obviously. Camping here just to get tennis tickets I think is something that you can only do here in Wimbledon."The first time I came, I thought it was crazy. Then I decided to do it thinking, 'oh, my God, this is crazy'. Then, since we did it, we can't stop. You meet people from everywhere and it's just a great experience. We love it." Life as a dedicated tennis superfan The days of queuing for tickets are long behind perhaps the most famous fans in tennis - Jannik Sinner's faithful Carota group of childhood friends from Turin have regularly attended the world number one's matches over the past two years dressed as carrots, after Sinner once ate one during a match in their fame has increased they have been supplied with tickets by tournament organisers, sponsors and even Sinner, with whom they have direct communication on WhatsApp and frequently send good luck messages. For Wimbledon this year they will have their own watch-along show in Italy alongside players and celebrities - but that will change should Sinner reach the final and potentially contest another epic major final against Carlos Alcaraz."It is something really crazy, it started as just a joke between us as friends and we never thought it could become something this big. Now we are really famous in the tennis world. It's like we became professional supporters or something like that," says Alessandro."We have a good relationship with Jannik. Sometimes we chat on WhatsApp, sometimes we meet him during the tournaments, one time we played tennis with him."He appreciates us because we came out before he became the player he is now, but also we respect the tennis atmosphere - it is something in his style, he is a polite and really humble guy."It's really difficult. In 2024 we went to 10 different tournaments and all the Grand Slams. We are always trying to find a way to follow him. It's not easy, but we do our best."
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Wimbledon 2025: Heat forces tennis fans to leave queue as temperatures to hit 34C on hottest-ever start to tournament
Tennis fans are queueing in their thousands as Wimbledon prepares to get under way amid a potentially record-breaking heatwave. By 6am, a long line of people snaked its way through Wimbledon Park with fans camping overnight to be among the first to gain entry to the 2025 grand slam at SW19. First in the queue were couple Vicky and Nigel Broad, from South Wales, who pitched up on Friday lunchtime. Mr Broad, 57, said: 'The queue is like a little community. 'You make a load of connections and just talk tennis for the whole weekend.' The couple have queued over 20 times and won tickets in the ballot, but Mr Broad said the queue is the best way to attend Wimbledon. 'I would say it's the greatest sporting event, having been to lots of sporting events like World Cup Football, rugby and boxing,' said Mr Broad.'It's because you meet a load of people and become friends, you have connections for a long, long time. 'We meet people year on year that we haven't seen for a year and then you immediately click back into what you're talking about the year previously,' he said. Brothers Sam and Harry Williams travelled from Cardiff and camped from 5pm on Sunday, placing number 1400 in the queue. The duo have been coming to Wimbledon for the past four years and said they plan to queue for four more nights to watch the tennis. Sam Williams, 24, said: 'It's such a good way to get tickets. I can never get them online as they're always sold out.' He said: 'It's going to be 35 degrees today. It's not going to be good, so we've got a hat and sun cream.' It has emerged some fans abandoned the queue for Centre Court seats because of the scorching temperatures over the weekend. Stewards at Wimbledon Park told The Telegraph that people had been leaving and saying they would come back when the weather is cooler. One said: 'People have arrived and then left, saying they'll come back when the weather is cooler. We're giving regular advice to people turning up about the hot weather and to stay hydrated with water.' Mel Megson, 58 from Margate, told how difficult it was standing in the queue through the heat. She reluctantly camped overnight with her sister who has cancer to fulfil one of her bucket list dreams. She said: 'My will to live has gone home. It's bloody hard work.' She queued from 2pm on Sunday and placed number 1218 in the queue. She said: 'It's my first and last Wimbledon. 'The last thing you want to do when it's really hot is stand in queues. 'I don't mind camping, I'm not so keen on tennis. The things you do for love.' She said: 'We didn't bother bringing a tent. We just slept on a blanket on the floor,' as she was already carrying so many bags of food and clothes. It comes as Monday is set to be one of the hottest June days on record, with highs of 34C expected. That would smash the record for the hottest start to Wimbledon - which was set in 2001 when temperatures hit 29.3C. The hottest day the tournament has seen was on July 1, 2015, when temperatures reached 35.7C. The capital will enter a fourth day of a heatwave, forecast to be hotter than holiday spots in Barbados, Jamaica and Mexico. Since 1960, UK temperatures in June have surpassed 34C in only three years, with the hottest being 35.6C, recorded on June 28 1976. A tropical night may also be on the cards, with parts of England to stay above 20C overnight into Tuesday, the Met Office said. Parts of south-east England could then hit 35C on Tuesday. But, Scotland and Northern Ireland face heavy rain and cooler temperatures. Charlwood in Surrey recorded the hottest temperature of the year so far at 33.2C on June 21. A second amber heat health alert in two weeks came into force on Friday. The alert, which covers London, the East Midlands, the South East, the South West and the East of England, will last until 6pm on Tuesday. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) also issued a yellow alert for Yorkshire and Humber and the West Midlands for the same time period, warning of significant impacts on health and social care services. An amber alert was previously issued for all regions in England on June 19, the first time it had been used since September 2023. Here is the 4cast for Monday 📅Hot across southeast England in particular with temperatures reaching 34 Celsius 🌡️ — Met Office (@metoffice) June 29, 2025 An official heatwave is recorded when areas reach a certain temperature for three consecutive days, with thresholds varying from 25C to 28C in different parts of the UK. London Fire Brigade assistant commissioner Thomas Goodall said: 'London is already facing its second heatwave of the year and we know that people will be looking forward to getting outside to enjoy the wonderful weather. 'But the high temperatures and low rainfall in recent months means the current risk of wildfires is severe. 'So far this year, firefighters have responded to around 14 wildfires in the capital. Where is the heat building and how long will it last? The week ahead video below tells all and more 👇 — Met Office (@metoffice) June 29, 2025 'There have also been countless callouts to smaller fires involving grass, trees and in other outdoor spaces, as well as in people's gardens. 'During this latest heatwave, it is important everyone acts responsibly to prevent fires from occurring. 'As the weather has been so dry, it only takes a few sparks to lead to a fire spreading rapidly. 'In London, this is can be dangerous because so many of our green spaces lie close to homes and other properties.'
