Hundreds of Wimbledon fans camp overnight in hope of bagging best tickets

They flocked to SW19 a day before the tournament starts.

Hundreds of dedicated Wimbledon fans have set up camp in south west London, hoping to pick up the best tickets.

The major tennis tournament doesn’t kick off until tomorrow, but in a time-honoured tradition a long queue has already formed, with people planning to sleep in tents overnight.

Photos taken in Wimbledon Park this morning show fans sitting in camping chairs and enjoying picnics as they settle in for long wait.

Others kept themselves busy by playing a spot of tennis by the tents, while a few opted for a football kickaround.

Many hope to catch British stars Andy Murray, 37, and Emma Raducanu, 21, as they battle it out on the courts.

For Andy, a two-time Wimbledon champion, it’s likely to be his last tournament before retiring.

He is scheduled to play world number 38 Tomas Machac in the first round at 11am on Tuesday.

Emma, meanwhile, plays 22 seed Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova tomorrow at 3.30pm.

Wimbledon is one of the very few major sporting tournaments where you can pick up premium tickets in person on the day of play.

Each day a long queue forms, with many having arrived the day before and some turning up early in the morning.

Some have described the system as ‘archaic’, saying it favours people living in the UK.

Tickets are sold on a best available, one per person queuing basis and are non-transferable, the Wimbledon website states.

A flat 500 tickets are sold each day for Centre Court (excluding last four days), No.1 Court, and No.2 Court.

There is a strict code of conduct for queuers, which includes not leaving the queue for more than 30 minutes for toilet breaks and to get refreshments.

Those queuing overnight must only use tents that accommodate a maximum of two people and one person should be with the tent at all times.

Gazebos are not allowed and neither is smoking or vaping.

Any takeaway food deliveries must arrive before 10pm and collected at Wimbledon Park Road gate only. 

The weather is set to be largely dry for queuers today with mix of sun and cloud and temperatures hovering around 22C.

Slightly more cloudy skies are expected tomorrow, but no rain is forecast. The temperature should reach 21C.

Last year men’s singles title winner Carlos Alcaraz is one of the favourites to take the title again this year, along with world number Jannik Sinner.

Aryna Sabalenka, who was runner up last year, is a favourite to pick up the women’s singles title, as is Iga Swiatek.

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