Everything you need to know to become an instant Wimbledon expert
Summer is a weird time for all. The weather turns sticky and we’re stuck with a void in the sporting calendar, pretending to care about the new rules of the 2015 Major League Baseball Home Run Derby.
How about some Wimbledon, then? Not sure where to begin? Our breakdown will make you fake it like an expert before Rafa can pick underwear out of his butt.
The Basics
Wimbledon runs June 29 - July 12, 2015
It’s in London!
You’ll stumble upon it accidentally because you’ll do anything to avoid the Brewers-Phillies game.
You’ll turn it off because of John McEnroe commentating.
It’s kind of a big deal
Firstly, Wimbledon is one of four Grand Slams: the others are the Australian Open, French Open and the US Open. These are the only tournaments that can reach five sets, hence playing right through into the early hours. The methamphetamine of sports if you will. Just ask Agassi.
It’s the only tournament players HAVE to wear white.
(Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Wimbledon has the strictest dress code of all the major Grand Slams, EVERYONE must wear white, no matter how good you are. Wimbledon officials even once told Roger Federer not to wear his orange soled Nike shoes as they violated the tournament’s all-white dress code. Yes, really.
Eating Strawberries and Cream is tradition.
Unlike us here in ‘Merica, over in England they’re a bit posh, and Wimbledon is synonymous with strawberries. No cheesy fries or hot dogs for them, it’s all about runny cream over some fruit. Speaking of tradition ...
Play will be stopped by rain all the time.
London is generally overcast and crappy during June. This doesn’t do much for tennis with an open roof.
(Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
Wimbledon ball boys and girls take their job seriously.
Remember that Seinfeld episode where Kramer auditions to be a ball boy? Well it wasn’t far off. These kids go through rigorous training to get the gig where a final total of approximately 250 are selected from around 700 applicants! It’s an important job! The cameras, the pressure, getting hit with a 125 mph serve, it’s not all fun and games. Dammit, these kids are heroes!
Tennis players often get angry ... it’s great TV!
The longest match ever was won by an American!
Five years ago, American John Isner played Frenchman, Nicolas Mahut in the longest-ever match at Wimbledon. The 11-hour, 5-minute affair was played over three days! Isner won, making a name for himself in the history books and is the epitome of Grand Slam tennis.
VICTORY!!!
AFP PHOTO/ Glyn Kirk
Hawk-Eye is the best!
Hawk-Eye is a camera that tracks the ball on video replay to show if the ball is in or out. Players also have an amount of challenges to use when they think a line call is wrong or just want to mess with their opponent’s head. There’s a lot of cheering and clapping. Good for drinking games.
Bonus tip! In tennis, on the line is always IN.
There’s a Hawk named Rufus!
It’s Rufus’ job to scare away pigeons! For real! Rufus patrols the skies and keeps the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club pigeon-free during the championships. He even has his own Twitter!
"Because I'm Worth It" #iamrufus #11daystogo #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/Hm7lsch7ck
— Rufus The Hawk (@RufusTheHawk) June 18, 2015 The Draw.
The draw was announced on Friday, and there’s a lot of potential for early exits. The below is easier.
Unlucky -- Facing Roger Federer in the first round.
Promising -- Generally handed out to any American who manages to avoid facing the top players until the quarterfinals.
Easy -- These are the rarest of draws and left to the likes of Novak Djokovic or Andy Murray.
Now it’s time to learn the contenders!
In the men’s draw, Stan Wawrinka is shooting for back-to-back Grand Slam titles, but it’s top dog Novak Djokovic who is the favorite. Some are tipping Roger Federer to win his 18th Grand Slam title as he’s come off a big win in a big lead-in tournament to Wimbledon, also he’s ridiculously good.
Britain’s own Andy Murray will also be in the running, and is due for a title. Rafa Nadal enters with critics doubting him, but the grass will be kinder to his body so he could be lifting the trophy. When it comes to sentiment, this will be Lleyton Hewitt’s last Wimbledon, who could dig for a team push until someone breaks.
Over on the women’s side, Serena Williams looks set to clean up but hasn’t won the tournament since 2010. Canadian crowd favorite Genie Bouchard almost won Wimbledon last year, but has battled with confidence since. It was Petra Kvitova who won that final, and riding on the fact her Grand Slam wins have only been at Wimbledon makes for very good odds. Despite it being 11 years since Maria Sharapova broke through, she could also make a deep run.
Okay, looks like you’re ready for Wimbledon! Go get it!
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