LONDON: The morning sky at SW19 was of a weepy hue, in the distance the St Mary’s Church bells chimed. A signal. The Championships, starting Monday, is the first Wimbledon after Roger Federer retired from the sport; the Swiss, who these grounds embraced as their very own, was Lord of the lawns, having won here eight times. Adored and adorned.
By the end of the fortnight, this grass-court Slam could have another awe-inspiring hero at the helm. Novak Djokovic is going for a record-equaling eighth Wimbledon title and ground-altering 24th Grand Slam crown.
