Wimbledon is off... so it’s HOME, set and match! On day tournament was due to start, stars and fans in smashing tribute
IT’S the traditional highlight of the tennis year that had been due to be served up today.
Wimbledon may have been cancelled because of the pandemic, but stars and fans are helping to keep the dream alive by recreating great moments – and playing tournaments in gardens.
After announcing Wimbledon was off for the first time since the Second World War, the All England Club encouraged players and fans to ‘bring the tournament to their homes’.
British tennis hero Tim Henman and former Wimbledon champions Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic, Petra Kvitova and Pat Cash have all played their part. American star Miss Williams, 38, practised her killer serve from her garden and Serb Djokovic, 33, repeated his ritual of eating grass – which he has done after each of his five Wimbledon wins.
Aussie legend Cash, 55, marched up garden steps to re- enact his climb into the stands to celebrate after his famous victory in 1987. Henman, 45, in his tennis kit, watched one of his classic Wimbledon matches on TV while Czech ace Miss Kvitova, 30, tucked into strawberries and cream.
Meanwhile, fans also recreated the Wimbledon spirit at home – complete with makeshift courts, umpire chairs and, of course, Pimm’s, strawberries and cream. The Matthew family, of Highcliffe, Dorset, arranged games with their tennis-mad children Callum, 14, Freya, nine, and Jamie, seven. Mother Karen, 41, said: ‘We’ve added an umpire stand, chalk board and spectator benches to make it feel as if we’re at Wimbledon.’ Verity Webber, 11, who plays alongside the Matthew children at Wimborne Tennis Club, helped to set up a mini-tournament at her grandparents’ showing them recreating much-loved viewing point Henman Hill and playing games in DIY courts in tiny gardens.