Base London's Gentlemen's Guide To...

July

Get It Right... Wimbledon

The highlight of a British summer of sport - the tennis at Wimbledon always manages to rustle up new and exciting semi clad talent; it's usually a good day out too. A day full of grunting Russians and strawberries and cream, followed by a decent, young and vibrant night life to indulge in too. Let's hope the rain stays away, Cliff Richard leaves the microphone at home and there's good days tennis, here's Base London's guide to Wimbledon.

Wimbledon Facts

The popular picnic lawn known as Henman Hill is actually called Aorangi Park.

Over 6,000 people work at the Championships during the two weeks

The first- ever player to be disqualified from the men's doubles was Tim Henman in 1995, for hitting a ball in anger which struck a ball girl.

Most Wins (Mens): Pete Sampras (7)
Most Wins (Womens): Martina Navratilova (9)
Youngest Men's Winner: Boris Becker, 17 years 227 days.
Youngest Women's Winner: Lottie Dod, 15 years 285 days

Wimbledon and Fashion.

The Wimbledon Championships have always dictated that players must wear white. This is due to it being part of the All England Club dress code for tennis. A player wishing to debut a new outfit, must get it pre-checked by officials. Ralph Lauren redesigned the Umpires in 2006 to change them from the classic green to a more 30's style uniform in navy-blue and cream.

Getting Tickets.

Tickets for the Championship are generally available through a balloting system and prices range between £30 and £62 for the first week and £40 to £100 in the second week. You can however buy tickets at the ground each day - tickets for just getting into the ground are cheaper and you can still enjoy the atmosphere.

Getting To Wimbledon

The All England Lawn Tennis Club, where the championships are held, is served by both overground and underground stations.
On the underground Southfields station (District Line) is about a fifteen minute walk or catch the shuttle bus available during the championships
Alternatively on the overland trains, get to Wimbledon Station and there is a shuttle bus service for the championships every 5 minutes.

After the Tennis

After you've exhausted the tennis its time to hit Wimbledon Village, here you'll find loads of nice bars and restaurants, the busy ones being 'The Rose and Crown' and 'The Dog and Fox' both with a party atmosphere. Restaurants get very busy so try and book ahead. After that jump onto a train to London, where you can party the night away...game, set, match.