The Championships Qualy: The Other Wimbledon
Wimbledon is for rich tennis fans, and the Qualy is for real tennis fans.
So I’ve heard, and it’s obviously not true. But it says a lot about the Qualifying Competition!
You’ll notice right away when visiting the Qualifying competition.
The vibe is fantastic, the matches intense, the players approachable and the location beautiful. The action happens at the Community Sports Centre in Roehampton, an intriguing contrast to the prestigious setting of the main competition at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon.
Over 4 days, a large number of ladies and gents play their best tennis and hope to make it to the main draw of the Championships over at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Tickets are very affordable and available online, even as late as a few days before play.
(Worlds apart from the struggle to get into the main competition where one needs to enter a public ballot several months ahead of the tournament with the chance of winning the right to buy an expensive ticket being about 1 to 10).
I’ll definitely be there next year too.
With a more down-to-earth atmosphere and a focus on the rising stars of tennis (although you might see some big names of momentarily lower ranking), the Qualy allows fans to witness the passion and determination of players striving to make it to the main draw. A beautiful thing. Standing on the edge of the court and following the action from a close distance is a hugely different experience than watching from the stands. One gets to mingle with umpires, line judges, ball boys and girls, referees, officials, helpers, volunteers of a certain age, fans of all possible ages, coaches, and the player's family.
Green and purple dominate with splashes of all possible colours from the fans’ outfits.
If you plan to visit you’ll find all the info here: Wimbledon Qualifying
The story was shot in June 2021. The post was published in September 2023
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