Michael Emons
BBC Sport at Wimbledon

Image source, BBC Sport

It wouldn’t be a proper Wimbledon without one of the weirdest, and most quintessentially British, sporting traditions going - the Queue to get a ticket.

Thousands and thousands of tennis fans have been queuing and partying in good spirits - some since Saturday afternoon - and camping out in Wimbledon Park, adjacent to the main grounds, in an attempt to get to watch some of the action.

Five hundred tickets are available this way for Centre Court, plus another 500 for Court One and 500 for Court Two with the rest hoping to get ground passes to see the outside courts.

It was so busy at the site yesterday that there was a huge queue - to get into the Queue.

The Queue returned last year after not being used in 2021 as the country recovered from the Covid-19 pandemic that forced the 2020 tournament to be cancelled and organisers are expecting numbers in the Queue to return to pre-pandemic times.

There may be some fans reaching for the coffees or energy drinks as those camping got woken up at 6am this morning before the Queue snaked its way around the huge park to the main site.

Image source, BBC Sport

Fail to prepare, prepare to fail and all that…

It's not just the players who have been getting up to speed on the grass in the past few days.

The Wimbledon ground staff were hard at work on Sunday, practising the drill for covering the courts if there’s any rain at the All England Club in the next fortnight.

Let’s hope they’re not called upon too often over the next few days.

Image source, PA Media

Image source, Reuters

Two down, two to go? That’s what record-breaking 23-time men’s Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic is hoping as he arrives at Wimbledon today ahead of his first-round match, first up on Centre Court.

He’s already beaten Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Australian Open final and defeated Casper Ruud at Roland Garros to move out on his own above Rafael Nadal as the most decorated major singles champion in men’s tennis history.

In the women’s game, the world’s top two have shared the two big prizes on offer thus far, with Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka triumphing in Melbourne and Poland's Iga Swiatek prevailing in Paris

In the wheelchair events, there are players, like Djokovic, still dreaming of a calendar Grand Slam - all four majors in the same year.

World number one and 18-time Slam champion Diede de Groot won the women’s singles in both Australia and France, as did British pair Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid in the men’s doubles.

Michael Emons
BBC Sport at Wimbledon

Image source, BBC Sport

Steve and Jan Oversby have travelled down from Leeds to south west London and are Wimbledon regulars with this being their 21st time at the Championships.

As they have done for half of their trips, they are among thousands and thousands in the Queue, hoping for some tickets.

"We got here at 5am this morning and it was absolutely heaving compared to previous years," said Steve.

"We are 2,200nd in the Queue and last year we got here at 5.30am and were in the 1400s so definitely a lot busier this year and the field is so much more packed.

"It's been great meeting people and we absolutely enjoy the Queue. We won't get on the show courts so we will go to maybe Court 18, maybe Court Three, maybe watch Djok on the hill.

Jan adds: "We just like watching tennis and being in the grounds is amazing, you can hear the ball being hit and the atmosphere is superb."

The queue for last-gasp tickets is one of the traditional elements that makes Wimbledon so special.

Tennis fans were already setting up camp and queueing yesterday afternoon, in their attempts to get their hands on some of the hottest tickets in town.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

So, what can you look forward to on day one at Wimbledon 2023?

Defending men's singles champion Novak Djokovic opens proceedings on Centre Court as he begins his bid for a record-equalling eighth men's title against Argentina's Pedro Cachin at 13:30 BST.

The Court One opener pits women's world number one and top seed Iga Swiatek against China's Zhu Lin (13:00 BST).

Seventh seed Coco Gauff will take on fellow American and former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin, while five-time champion Venus Williams takes on 2019 semi-finalist Elina Svitolina.

There are also SIX British players are in singles action on day one.

Don't. Go. Anywhere.

Image source, Getty Images

It’s a new era for the BBC’s coverage of Wimbledon in 2023, as it’s the first year without the great Sue Barker, who stepped down as presenter after last year’s tournament.

Clare Balding will be the lead presenter for the BBC’s TV coverage from SW19, with Isa Guha starting the coverage each morning.

Qasa Alom takes over presenting duties for Today at Wimbledon, which will bring you highlights and analysis at the end of each day’s play.

You can watch all matches live on the BBC iPlayer, while you can listen to extensive coverage on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds.

And on the BBC Sport website and app we’ll have daily live text commentaries, analysis, video clips, match reports and much more!

Read more details about the BBC's coverage here.

The strawberries have been picked. The courts prepared to perfection. The queue is back in full force, bursting with anticipation from front to back.

We're just one hour away from the start of play at the All England Club!

Who will shine in 2023? What surprises lie in wait? What will be the headlines be in a fortnight's time?

The waiting is almost over.

Welcome to day one at the 136th edition of Wimbledon.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images