Wimbledon has always been an arena of thrills and spills; rows and tantrums; sex and scandals; and that’s before the games even begin. It is an intoxicating combination: fanatic royals, Pimms-fuelled commoners and hepped-up athletes being offered more prize money than they can shake a racket at. This year the gentleman and lady singles champions will take home a cool £3 million, and even being knocked out in the first round will see you sitting £66,000 prettier. So hold onto your hats, I have a feeling this tournament is set to be particularly stormy.
“It’s such a quintessential part of the English summer. It hasn’t changed either, I think that’s what’s so wonderful,” says the Princess of Wales of the most famous tennis competition in the world. This might be nice sentiment, but it just so happens not to be true. In fact things are all change at Wimbledon. Starting with the ball boys and girls (known as BBGs) and their training. This has always been rigorous. Ex-captain ball boy Alex Crockford remembers it as gruelling and stressful: “It was a strictly disciplined environment. You have to follow lots of rules and traditions because it’s Wimbledon. Not just on the court, but how to walk to and from it.”
