One strikingly long row of makeshift grass tennis courts in the glistening surroundings of a south London public park. The £40m National Tennis Centre – with the luxury of year-round tennis courts – overlooking the scene, up the hill. Players on the periphery below the top-100 in the world slugging it out for one of 16 spots at The Championships next week. A serene environment, save for the agony and ecstasy of the players on court: welcome to the final day of Wimbledon qualifying.
It is a uniqueness to Wimbledon that qualifying does not take place at the site of the tournament, in order to save the grass courts wear and tear ahead of the fortnight. Instead, it takes place a few miles away in Roehampton at the aptly named Wimbledon Qualifying and Community Sports Centre, formerly the Bank of England Sports Centre. Look closer and you’ll see the likes of David Goffin and Richard Gasquet – both former top-10 players – grinding it out over the final round.
