It is impossible not to know the world’s most famous tennis tournament is on when you stroll through Wimbledon Village.
Wimbledon, for the uninitiated, is perched in south-west London and effectively broken into two parts: Wimbledon Village is a posh, exclusive area at the top of a hill, while the Wimbledon town centre is at the bottom.
Novak Djokovic greets Andy Murray at Wimbledon.Credit: Getty Images
There are the usual in-your-face billboards and advertising from the time you step off the train at Wimbledon station, or arrive in any other way.
That is one of the few similarities with the vibe around Melbourne’s Australian Open, which is held in the heart of a heaving city, rather than tucked in an aristocratic suburb.
Otherwise, these two grand slams are wildly different beyond even the locales, starting with private club versus a tennis centre, and Wimbledon’s pure tennis focus contrasted with Melbourne Park’s increasingly eclectic fusion of tennis and festival entertainment.
If you are at the grasscourt major, you are there to watch tennis.
Read Marc McGowan’s full analysis here.
Source Agencies
