Tennis fans, the wait is finally over – Wimbledon 2009 is here. From Monday 22 June – Sunday 5 July, the world’s most famous tennis tournament returns to South London for thrilling grass court action, strawberries and cream and, fingers crossed, unbroken sunshine.
Last year saw the longest ever Men’s final with Rafael Nadal beating Roger Federer in one of the most exciting Wimbledon finals of all time. Venus Williams triumphed over her sister Serena to take the Women’s title. This year, the new retractable Centre Court roof will ensure that the rain breaks that have traditionally dogged Wimbledon won’t spoil the biggest matches.
Wimbledon has produced tennis legends including John McEnroe, Pete Sampras, Stefi Graff, Boris Becker, Martina Navratilova and Vanessa and Serena Williams and is the favourite tournament of many professional players.
Tickets for Wimbledon are always in fierce demand, and because of this, the club operates a public ballot (lottery) for advanced sales of Centre, No. 1 and No. 2 court tickets. There are a limited number of tickets for the other courts available at the entrance on the day - but you'll need to start queuing from about 06:00. Ticket prices range from £29-£100 depending on the day and court, and sell out months in advance.
For more information on Wimbledon tickets, visit Wimbledon tickets (www.wimbledon.org/en_GB/about/tickets/index.html ).