Tim HENMAN

In some capacity or another – originally as a fan, then as a player, now as a pundit – I have been to every Wimbledon since 1981. I still have the ticket stub from that first time, as a six-year-old holding my mum’s hand. I got to see Björn Borg play and decided, there and then, on my one and only career decision: I wanted to play tennis, preferably at Wimbledon.

I managed to achieve that dream dozens of times, having some of the best days of my life (and a few disappointments) playing on Centre or Court One. Ninety per cent of the players around the world, if they could win one Grand Slam, would choose Wimbledon. The grass, the white clothing, the Royal Box, strawberries and cream. It’s all there.

I always felt so lucky to have it as my home tournament. Now, to wander around knowing there’s still a whole section of the club, “Henman Hill”, that’s colloquially named after me, is still surreal and special.

But Wimbledon is special for all tennis fans – and many people who only tune in to one tournament a year. As I sit on the board at the All-england Club these days, I played a role in the decision to cancel the 2020 tournament. On the one hand, it was simple, given the risks involved, what other sporting bodies had done, and how unimportant tennis was in the grand scheme of things. On the other hand, it was Wimbledon.

Calling off something that’s such a fixture in the British summer, and that hasn’t been cancelled since the Second World War, was never going to be easy.

But it is for the best. Even though tennis players are self-employed and there are hundreds of support staff, officials, coaches, and doctors all relying on the sport to keep going, the pandemic is the priority. Luckily, all the players are in the same boat, and haven’t been able to do much more than the rest of us over the last few months.

Personally, I haven’t played tennis since well before lockdown. I had a tournament in Australia in January, but haven’t touched a racquet since. I don’t miss playing – I’m addicted to golf now, so as soon as it was allowed again, I was out on the green near our home in Oxfordshire. Luckily our daughters are 17, 15 and 12 so they’re at an age when they can get on with things.

I visited Wimbledon to film for our coverage of classic matches this week, and it was the first time I’d been in the area for months. It brought it all home that it’s the end of June and the club isn’t filled with dedicated fans and the world’s best players.

But we will return when we can. Fingers crossed 2021 goes ahead. If it does, expect it to be extra special.

I still have a ticket stub from that first time at Wimbledon, as a six-year-old