Tennis fans keep spirits high in Wimbledon queue

Mr AlKooheji (pictured) said he heard champagne being opened in the early hours of the morning

Wimbledon's queue is a key part of the tournament's return each year.

Tennis fans camp overnight or arrive in the early hours of the morning in the hope of getting hold of tickets for specific courts or for a grounds pass.

Chief steward James Mendelssohn, from Thursley in Surrey, previously told the BBC some people returned year on year to the queue and were like "old friends".

More than 10,000 people descended on Wimbledon Park for the chance to get tickets before 2025's first day of play.

Those arriving at SW19's Wimbledon Park, adjacent to the All England Club, are given a numbered queue card on arrival and a team of stewards manages entry in the order people have arrived.

A limited number of centre court tickets are available for the first 10 days only, and availability for other courts varies throughout the tournament.

So what brings people to the queue, in all weathers, and how do they keep their spirits up? We took an early morning trip to Wimbledon Park to find out more.

Ben Buckfield and Jade Jordan had travelled from Epsom and arrived at 05:00 BST.

With umbrellas, a plastic groundsheet and "loads of binbags" they were sheltering from Monday morning's rain.

Mr Buckfield said: "I've never been to Wimbledon in my life.

"I don't watch tennis, we're just here for the vibes."

People came to the tournament from across Surrey and Sussex

Katie Rose, who lives in Staines, and Matthew Bartkowski had taken a cab and brought pre-made pesto and mozzarella baguettes, crisps, and a "big carton of coffee" to keep them going.

Having got a taxi at 4:15, Ms Rose said: "We're running off four hours sleep, so we're a bit tired."

In the rain, Mr Bartkowski said: "The weather's not great but spirits are high.

"Looking forward to the day, the sun's going to come out soon, we're keeping our fingers crossed."

Gemma and Ethan (pictured) enjoyed a sunny spell of weather

Deirdre Crawley-Moore from Oxted was queuing with her son Kerran Boylan.

"I did bring a waterproof but my son's wearing it because he didn't bring anything with him," she said.

"No umbrella, but so what?"

Asked what else she had with her to keep her going, she joked: "Alcohol."

Ms Crawley-Moore (pictured) gave her son her waterproof

Yousif AlKooheji, a former Sussex University student who previously lived in Brighton, arrived just before 05:00.

Despite a recently smashed bottle of wine, he said he was in "more than good spirits" and had been "really excited" for the day.

"About 5:30 we heard people popping some champagne, some prosecco," he added.

"We've had some girls having a dance along to Abba, I think people are in a good mood."

Gemma and son Ethan from Guildford had arrived in the queue around 06:25 and had a queue ticket numbered just under 5,000.

"We're just looking forward to going in and enjoying the atmosphere," Gemma said.

Thousands of people arrive each day of the Wimbledon tennis tournament to queue for tickets

Michael, from Worthing, had camped from 23:00 BST on the previous evening but described his tent as "a bit ropey".

He was not pinning his hopes on seeing anyone in particular at the tournament.

"I'm looking forward to being around, being able to watch a few of the different games and get a bit of the atmosphere," he said.

And how does it feel getting to the front of the queue?

Tom, from Windlesham, had parked just outside Putney and walked to Wimbledon Park, having queued from shortly after 06:00.

"It's awesome, we're dry which is the most important thing now," he said.

"We're looking forward to seeing some great tennis."