Designing Wimbledon poster was 'dream come true'

Bella Grace's design incorporates the Ladies' Singles and the Gentlemen’s Singles trophies

An illustrator has described designing the official Wimbledon 2024 poster as the "pinnacle" of her career.

Bella Grace from the Isle of Wight was approached by the sporting event and asked to create the artwork.

The lifelong tennis fan said she took inspiration from some of Wimbledon's most iconic trophies.

Her design is expected to be seen by more than 500,000 ticket-holders at the two-week event in London.

The intricate artwork features the Boston ivy that surrounds centre court

Mrs Grace said she wanted to incorporate foliage and "beautiful English gardens" into the poster.

The design includes hydrangeas made from score cards, agapanthus fashioned out of tennis rackets and even Rufus the Hawk, who is responsible for keeping the courts pigeon-free.

"When you look closer, you'll see that there's some creative tennis elements hidden within it," she said.

These 14 hidden elements represent each day of the championship, which takes place between 1 - 14 July.

On closer inspection, viewers can spot tennis nets morphed into roses

Wimbledon described the poster as having "intricate details and hidden layers" that reveal themselves the longer the viewer looks at it.

Mrs Grace was in contention with other artists and agencies, and said she could not believe it when she received an email saying her design had been chosen.

"I'm completely honoured to have this opportunity and it means the world to me," she said.

Her love of tennis goes back to her childhood, where she would volunteer as a ball girl for the Eastbourne International tennis tournament.

About 42,000 spectators can be in Wimbledon's grounds at any one time

Having her artwork displayed at Wimbledon years later made her feel "honoured", she said.

"To see it here... to see everyone wanting to take photos of it and seeing people holding programmes is just a dream come true."

Attending the event with her husband to see the design in person, Mrs Grace said it felt like "a really big deal".