I love the history of Wimbledon, but it’s time to scrap the queue
3 July 2025, 16:53
I’m a huge fan of Wimbledon, but change is needed.
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The strawberries and cream, the action on Centre Court, the timeless elegance of the grass - there’s nothing quite like it. It’s the oldest tennis tournament in the world, steeped in tradition and history.
But it’s time we talked about the process of getting there in the first place: the queue.
Yes, the queue is just as much a Wimbledon tradition as the all-white dress code or the Royal Box. But not all traditions are worth keeping and this one has reached its sell-by date.
You arrive in the early hours of the morning - or worse, you camp overnight. You shuffle slowly forward for six hours or more in a moving line. It usually rains, though we’ve avoided that this year.
By the time you make it into the grounds, you’re exhausted, damp and gasping for a Pimm’s. And that’s if you’re lucky. Some queue all day and never get in.
We love to romanticise the queue - people tell me that it’s so British, so polite, so quirky. But let’s be honest: it’s also inefficient, unfair and unnecessary. It rewards stamina, not passion.
Those who can’t take a day off work or camp out with a sleeping bag miss out, while others get in through sheer persistence rather than love of the game.
I understand ticketing is difficult - we all remember the Ticketmaster fiasco with the Oasis reunion gigs. But surely Wimbledon can do better than this.
We need to work with local tennis clubs to find a solution to make the system fairer. No one should have to pitch a tent just to see a first-round match.
Wimbledon has modernised before - retractable roofs, equal prize money and the introduction of AI line judges this year. But when it comes to the queue, it’s as if time has stood still… just like the people in it.
This isn’t just about convenience. It’s about making sure the people who truly care about tennis get to witness the magic of Alcaraz, Raducanu, and the next generation of stars.
The queue might once have been charming. Now, it’s just tiring. Change doesn’t come easily in SW19 - but it’s long overdue.
Keep the grass. Keep the strawberries. Scrap the queue.
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