Hello all,
I am thinking of trying to get tickets to Wimbledon for next summer but on the website it looks as though you have to submit a ballot and you cannot ask for a specific date. We are only going to be in London for 5 night so my dates are not flexible. Has anyone gone the day of and done the standing you only tickets? Thanks in advance for any advice.
I adore Wimbledon! I live in Wimbledon Village - about a 10 min walk from the AELTC. I have submitted a ballot for tickets for 3+ years and have never been successful. I have queued for the day of tickets on many occasions. These tickets give you a grounds pass. Once in you are free to go to any court where there is space available to watch the match. The only reserved tickets are for Centre, Courts 1 and 2. Once you have your ground passes there are ways to get tickets to those courts but that is another story. You could be queuing for a couple of hours or all day long. I have had both experiences. When you enter the queue you are given a number. You cannot hold a place for someone or queue jump. Like most British queues it is logical and very orderly. My experience - especially for this past Wimbledon - is that if there is a well known Brit playing (Andy Murray or Laura Robson) the queues are VERY long. The queues were significantly shorter when those 2 were not scheduled to play.
Nancy didn't mention it, but I would guess that it would be easier to get grounds passes earlier in the tournament than later.
The ticket queue nowadays seems to be very much longer than it used to be - some days being there at 6am would be too late for a show court but just a grounds pass may be a bit easier.
Note that Court 3 is now a reserved court in the first week and tickets for that are sold through Ticketmaster online the day before rather than the queue.
I used to be fortunate in knowing someone who volunteered for a county LTA branch as they have a separate ballot with a higher winning rate than the one for the general public.
The other (legal) option is to buy a debenture ticket on the resale market. Deep pockets needed for the second week but not so bad for the first, particularly for a full day.
Marco is right - the day of tickets for the show courts go quickly. But - and this is one of the things I love - when you have a ticket to one of the reserved courts you have access to that seat for the entire day. Many folks don't stay for the whole day. As they exit the tennis club they are asked if they would like to donate their ticket. Most people do as they are leaving for the day. There are ticket booths up on Henmen Hill (although some refer to it as 'Murray Hill') that resell these tickets - around £10 or so. The beauty of this is that it gives others the opportunity to gain access to those venues AND the stands are full!!!
Marco-can you obtain the debenture ticket through something like ticketmaster here in the states or is that something that must be done in London?
Nancy, how early does the ticket booth on Henmen Hill start selling those? Also is Henmen Hill on the grounds of Wimbledon?
Debenture tickets are the only tickets that can be legitimately resold by anyone. Other tickets should only be sold by the AELTC. Development of Wimbledon complex is funded by selling debentures which entitle the owner to two tickets every day to a particular show court for a period of time, usually five years. They are permitted to resell these. Most get sucked up by corporate hospitality but they can be found on various ticket resellers. They are never that cheap.
Unlike the US Open, all access is for a full day; there is no concept of a 'session'. People who leave early have their tickets scanned at the exit, and the show court seats are resold for £10 inside Wimbledon after 3pm from the ticket office on the Aorangi Terrace (proper name for Henman Hill, Murray Mound etc). This as the name suggests is a terraced area, situated behind Court 1, which has a large TV screen showing a match from Centre/1. Money from resale goes to charity, last year £167,000.
After 5pm ground tickets are only £14, subject to availability. Can be a cheap evening of outside court tennis.
Thanks so much for the information. =)
The ticket re-sell booth near Henmen Hill usually opens by 3. There is a queue but I have never found it unbearable especially since you can watch the jumbotron of all the action while in line. And yes - it is within the AELTC so you need to have a grounds pass. Also spend time in Wimbledon Village - it is buzzing during that time!
Nancy-do I have to ballot for a grounds pass or can those be purchased any day we decided to try and stand in the queue for tickets?
For 'Day Of' ground passes simply join the Queue - where you will wait in line to purchase ground passes. Again - some days the queue is hours and hours long and other days not. But even the Queue has a charm all its own. It is orderly and you end up meeting people from all over. The queue is an experience all by itself!
