I started another thread that was alluding to all you said.My opinions about the US Open, especially in regards to Arthur Ashe, are well documented in tennis warehouse. But I can say, without a bit of doubt, that I have always ended a US Open day with a big smile. They have plenty of areas of improvement. But Wimbledon, oh my friends, it's a different story. So much that I'm compelled to write to the organization, because you should leave the grounds of a GS with a big smile. Not my case in SW19. This is why:
- I attended day 2, bear in mind, a Tuesday in an early round. No weekend, no exciting games.
- I did not win the raffle, so I joined the queue. By the way, I met people who have subscribed to the lottery since they remember and have never won. I heard plenty of conspiracy theories: that the lottery is arranged, that there are like 10,000 organizations in the priority list including of course all the tennis clubs in the UK and so on.
- I took the very first tub out of the place where I'm staying (at a friend in Warwick Avenue) and got to the grounds by 7 am. I was given the not to be forgotten number 6,650 in the queue!
- I was sandwiched in between a group of English teenagers and a couple in their 30's. None of them had the least intention of initiating a conversation with me. For the record, I did use deodorant and brushed my teeth.
- I made it to the grounds at 12 (please note, already 5 hours in a queue), a full 30 minutes after action started. On the good side, it must be said that I only paid 25 pounds, but that's not an important factor as you will see in a moment.
- As you probably know, Center Court, Court 1 and Court 2 are only for reserved seats. Also, a big portion of Court 3. In the US Open, when I used to go 10 years ago, ground passes were good for all the event except for Arthur Ashe. So essentially, you are left with a selection of least attractive matches.
- Ok I cheated. I made my way to Court 2 and watched Del Potro- Kokkinakis. I will keep the secret to myself, but let's say that I was worried in every change of sides that one of the volunteers would kick me out.
- Then I went to the "best kept secret" in Wimbledon. The resale office in court 18, which opens at 3. I arrived pretty much at 3 (just 15 mins ahead) and the line was HUNDREDS long. I was advised to forget about it. So I did.
- And then I went to court 3 to watch Alex Zverev. Remember that court 3 is partially reserved? That means one more queue, this one for about 20 mins, so I didn't see the first half of the first set. Great game.
-I did try to see Dimitrov , which was in a Court with grandstands (court 12). Guess what. One more queue!! This one for about 40 mins. Once inside, the game was over in less than half an hour.
- And this is the point where all hell breaks loose. With no more exciting games in Court 3, about half of the universe makes its way to the small courts. The little side courts only have 2 rows of seating! No kidding. Literally speaking, thousands of people are doing all they can to see some action. If you can't sit, then you look for the best possible place standing behind those who are seating. First row of standing room can watch something. Second row can watch a little bit. Third row forget it. By the way, the tyrants at Wimbledon don't let you stand on benches or seats to gain a higher ground, as if they didn't understand the huge problem they have managing crowds. For each one of these small courts there is a line to gain seating, which of course is completely hopeless.
- So I was able to see a game that drew less attention (Zeballos- Lorenzi) and after failing to even see Feliciano Lopez face, I gave up. So I went to the store for a nice memory.
- There was a queue to get inside the store!!!!! That caps the whole story. Wimbledon is queue capital of the world. I left the place more exhausted than if I had gone to Disneyland. I did leave without a nice smile, which is completely inappropriate as I was able to see so many great players, especially young guns.
What should be done:
- Wimbledon needs to run a fair allocation of tickets, nothing like the "lottery". Who knows what happens in that big old casino.
- They need to restrict the crowds. Remember that I was #6,650 in the queue? Well, I was probably right in the middle...
- The queue, come on. Run the queue electronically. Have you heard about technology? Make tickets personal (upon verified ID) to avoid abuses, robots and resale, but do it electronically. Some people say it's an experience. One that I don't want to remember. And just in case you are wondering, yes, at the time I made it to the grounds there were about 200 tents already set up for the night campers. So if you want to have tickets better than ground pass (reserved), you should start at least by 7 am OF THE PREVIOUS DAY.
This was hell. I will give the Wimbledon organization a score of 2/10. Never back to Wimbledon without reserved seats. And if anyone starts a petition to rotate the Grand Slams, I will sign immediately. Priority for English clubs and so on it's completely unfair. The GS are global events.
I was wrong... the worst GS is not the US Open
- Thread starter icazares
- Start date
I started another thread that was alluding to all you said.
tacou
G.O.A.T.
I don't get the issue. You paid very little money and got to see a lot of tennis at the most legendary club in the world. nothing can be done to make Wimbledon tickets more accessible or cheaper, or the lines shorter, it is an event that will always be supremely in demand. if you are willing to pay thousands of dollars you can see matches on the show courts
That's why Australian Open is the best. You buy a ticket online. Walk through and you're in. Can't get tickets for the quarters or semis, no problem. Buy a ground pass and watch it outside on a huge screen sitting on the lawn in warm 28C summer evening with beer everywhere. I think from memory the ground pass was $35 AUD.
It is definitely about money in the sense that Wimbledon is not going to SPEND a ton of money to technologize the visitor experience as you propose.
Fedinkum
Legend
Man...that sucks!!!
Mainad
Bionic Poster
Was that before they put the roof on?
beast of mallorca
G.O.A.T.
Yes. That was around 12 or 13 yrs ago. We had a good seat but got sick after because of the weather.
Don't get me wrong. The atmosphere was great, and we enjoyed our trip. But lining up that early for a ticket is just ridiculous
Most of the complaints about Wimbledon boil down to the fact that demand for tickets considerably outstrips supply. Whatever system is used to allocate tickets, a lot of people will be left frustrated. It's naïve to think that it might be quieter on the first Tuesday than it is during the second week. There are so many matches going on, and a previous poster is right that if that's the date you are going, you need to prioritise what you want to see and stick to it. It's like going to a big music festival an expecting to be able to switch between stages with ease. With experience you learn to prioritise.
One of the easiest ways Wimbledon could narrow the gap between supply and demand is to increase ticket prices, but they don't, which is to their credit IMO. On the other hand, making it easier to buy tickets would only increase the demand. There are a lot of people who don't try to go because they can't be bothered with either the ballot or the queue. If you had all tickets sold online you'd have many more people applying, and a bigger problem with touts.
It does seem to be a problem if people in the queue long before opening time aren't able to get into the grounds in advance of play starting. That suggests the on-the-day ticket sales and access isn't able to handle the capacity, and I wonder if that's down to the increased security.
As a tv viewer, I would like it if they had slightly longer gaps between big matches on the show courts. After a long match, and especially when it's very hot, spectators will need to leave for a comfort break and to get drinks and spend time in the shade, which can mean a few empty seats and a dip in atmosphere for the next match. At this time of the tournament, there's plenty happening on other courts, so unless matches are backed up, there's no need to rush to the next one.
One of the easiest ways Wimbledon could narrow the gap between supply and demand is to increase ticket prices, but they don't, which is to their credit IMO. On the other hand, making it easier to buy tickets would only increase the demand. There are a lot of people who don't try to go because they can't be bothered with either the ballot or the queue. If you had all tickets sold online you'd have many more people applying, and a bigger problem with touts.
It does seem to be a problem if people in the queue long before opening time aren't able to get into the grounds in advance of play starting. That suggests the on-the-day ticket sales and access isn't able to handle the capacity, and I wonder if that's down to the increased security.
As a tv viewer, I would like it if they had slightly longer gaps between big matches on the show courts. After a long match, and especially when it's very hot, spectators will need to leave for a comfort break and to get drinks and spend time in the shade, which can mean a few empty seats and a dip in atmosphere for the next match. At this time of the tournament, there's plenty happening on other courts, so unless matches are backed up, there's no need to rush to the next one.
clayqueen
Talk Tennis Guru
In spite of the shortcomings I posted above, I have enjoyed every minute I've spent Wimbledon. It's a fantastic atmosphere and just seeing the players on the off chance is amazing. I saw Rafa play there on CC in 2008 and it was great. I've never seen Federer play there but I saw him when he arrived once. They need to increase the capacity on more of the courts. They know the demand is there. If they did that and not make those courts funded by debenture holders but by ticket sales then more tickets would be available to the public.
Similar threads
