These fans
are from Scotland - Walker Joe is
the smiling face second from the
right.
FABULOUS
WIMBLEDON
A Taste of
1991 and 1997
Beware! Wimbledon!
Walker Joe is invading the
green grass of home for a fifth
time. Late March 1997, Walker
Joe, with his wife’s,
Marjorie Lee, endorsement,
attended the 1997 Lawn Tennis
Championships. The piece de
resistance was that during the
1996 Championships a femme nude
streaker appeared on Centre
Court. This provocative act pales
the memory of Gorgeous Gussie
Moran who paraded on Centre Court
wearing a pair of risqué lacy,
ruffled panties under her tennis
dress. Walker Joe did not tell
Marjorie about the streaker.
Designer and tennis aficionado
Ted Tinling, who collected
ten-quid (£) for his trouble,
had designed and sewed the
outfit. The spicy caper almost
cost him permanent alienation
from Wimbledon, the tournament he
dearly loved. The sexy panties
were labeled as 'undignified' by
the Club. One might wonder what
this latest scenario was labeled.
In regards to
Gussie's fashion statement, one
Member was reputed as having
berated Tinling at lunch.
"You have put sin and
vulgarity into tennis," he
scolded. Wonder what he would
have said to the nude streaker,
and one might wonder if any of
the Members had an inclination to
give back the box office bonanza
that followed Gussie's flamboyant
appearance. Many spectators found
her originality delightful.
Mr. Tinling
ruffled feathers of the rank and
file and became persona non grata
at Wimbeldon for 33 years, which
seems a bit excessive and harsh.
Walker Joe surmises, however,
quite typical of the Wimbledon
mind-set back then. But at a
cathedral exemplary behavior is
expected. The Club lifted the
vendetta in 1982 and appointed
him The Championships' Players
Liaison Officer and an Honorary
Member. About his appointment,
fiery John McEnroe said,
"Ted who?" Wrong! He
said: "I don't think he will
do any good for Wimbledon. I
don't think the guys even know
who he is."
By April 10,
Walker Joe had paid Virgin
Atlantic $770 for two magic
carpet rides to and from
paradise. And by the end of April
Marjorie had packed his gear. As
far as Marjorie is concerned, the
word procrastination has never
been contrived. He thought his
June departure date would never
come. Time out! In 1990,
Walker Joe paid $844 to fly over
on Virgin Atlantic. You know, the
airline that passes out these
decals: do not disturb; wake me
for duty free; wake me for meals;
wake me for sex. No one woke
Walker Joe. The reasonably priced
‘97 airline ticket enabled
him to pay for the added cost of
everything else.
Why does Walker
Joe keep going back to this
modicum of rare earth, about
thirteen plus acres 3500 miles
away? Some will tell you that
it’s over priced and Members
are pompous and snobbish. He
doesn't doubt this for one
moment, but their numbers are
few. They become lost in the
colossal gathering of hoi polloi
who find the means to afford
tickets year after year. And,
yes, it's expensive, but the
entertainment the 'Big W' serves,
with class and style, justifies
the high prices. Simply stated,
you get your money's worth.
Besides, it’s the most
prestigious tournament of them
all. And London’s frightfully
exciting.
So, plan your
London vacation around Wimbledon.
You might consider staying in
affluent Wimbledon Village.
It’s also a charming and
safe place which is inundated
with friendly pubs and places to
eat. London is only twenty
minutes away via the Underground.
Note: Traveling around
London with a day pass will save
you considerable time and money.
And I expect the cost for a
Wimbledon Area B&B might be
more reasonable than anything you
might find downtown. In 1997 I
paid £28 each night. My B&B
connection in Wimbledon is Mrs.
Jane Scoon, tel 081-946-8491. Ask
Mrs. Scoon to place you in
Wimbledon Village if she can.
Walker Joe, a few
breaths away from sixty-eight,
has backpacked to Wimbledon five
years. And he’s heading that
way again in 1998 with backpack,
but he’s planning to queue
(line) only two nights.
Unfortunately, his fifth trip in
1997 found him physically
incapable of sleeping in the all
night queue to get those great
reserved tickets they hold back
for genuine tennis fans. But in
spite of this fact, he had a
wonderful time. He met a friendly
Steward (gate keeper) who invited
him into the new No. 1 Court
where he saw theses matches: Greg
Rusedski (GBR) v Jonathan Stark
(USA) and Pete Sampras (USA) v
Hendrik Dreekmann (GER).
Actually, he was kind to Walker
Joe twice. They have a heart the
size of a watermelon.
The Greg Rusedski
showcase match was a second round
match. He played inspired tennis
to beat our man Jonathan Stark in
five, hard-fought, close sets.
Greg had lost the first two sets
and had to fight back. He won
three straight sets to claim
victory. The fifth set was a
marathon event that went to 11/9,
during which the Brits cheered
out of control for every
advantageous play their man
Rusedski executed. The atmosphere
was electrified.
Walker Joe was
sitting on the edge of his seat
when our man 'Pistol Pete' and
Dreekmann entered. After the
usual five minute warmup, three
explosive sets followed. Pete
provided most of the TNT, but the
German wasn't too shabby. Scores:
7/6 (7-2), 7/5, 7/5. It seemed
apparent to Walker Joe that Pete
was the man to beat, and it
proved true. He had watched
Pioline, the Frenchman Pete
annihilated in the final, play a
New Zealander named Brett Steven
on Court 18, a new court, proving
a cheap Ground Pass ($11) is a
ticket to excitement especially
during the early rounds.
Here’s the
other interesting matches Walker
Joe witnessed: Pete Sampras v
Petr Korda, the first two sets:
Mary Pierce v Ruano Pascual,
Richard Krajicek (1996 Champion)
v David Riki; the Woodies (five
consecutive double Championships)
v Knippschild & Tarrango
(he's the hothead who called the
umpire corrupt and was fined
£18,000 (his winnings), Hingis
(number one in the world) &
Vicario v McCarthy & Rubin,
and Miss Martina Hingis play
singles and mixed doubles.
Incidentally, installing a large
mirror on court for Mary Pierce
was a generous gesture.
Mary’s amour propre is
nonpareil.
If Walker Joe had
to choose one day to tell about,
it would be Thursday, July 4,
1991. He woke up at Mrs. Jackie
Dodd’s B&B.He gazed out
the window on this beautiful,
sunny, Independence day. He had
missed many parades and tons of
pyrotechnics over the last three
years, but the pyrotechnics
’The Big-W' sparks had
proven to be a tolerable trade
off. Then he dressed in tennis
attire and strolled downstairs
for breakfast. Good mornings were
exchanged, and he took a seat
across from Paul, Jackie’s
husband. Mrs. Dodd served him
orange juice, coffee, eggs, bacon
and toast, and he paid her £22
($37) for the B&B. After
thanking this warm-blooded Irish
duo, and he was off to the
kingdom of tennis.
A more gorgeous
day would be an impossibility for
London. Walker Joe whistled while
he walked. He was filled with
hope, joy and anticipation. He
wondered why he'd been frightened
the night before when he had
walked this way at midnight after
having Indian food for the first
time. Of course, the midnight air
and dancing shadows can stimulate
thoughts of utter horror in a
city that produced Jack the
Ripper. The dependable
double-decker bus was waiting.
The fare was still 40p (70 cents)
and there were only a few
passengers aboard. This was a
hopeful sign. When no queue
materialized along Church Road,
his insides started churning from
excitement, realizing a great
ticket might be available.
Reaching the
ticket gate, he asked the young
lady, "Got any tickets,
Luv?"
"Yes, sir. We
have No. 1 Court tickets for £18
($30)," she replied with a
warm smile.
"Who's
playing?"
"The first
match features Edberg against
Champion and then Becker plays
Forget."
Walker Joe wanted
to believe his ears. She was
offering a ticket to watch the
numbers one and two seeds play
the French connection in a
quarter-final match for a measly
$30. This quarter-final match is
normally played on Wednesday (the
rain delays had caused this) and
the price would have been $50.
Furthermore, he would have needed
to queue all night to get it.
Now, Walker Joe knew Somebody in
heaven was looking out for him.
Without any further hesitation,
he passed the price of the ticket
to the patient lady and was off
to Left Luggage to park his
backpack.
Play was scheduled
to start at 12:00 P.M. No time
remained to dilly dally about.
So, Walker Joe headed for Gangway
4 in the southwest corner. He
reached Row U, Seat 012, after an
eleven minute journey. He could
have made it in about seven
minutes had he not detoured by
the Long Bar for a pint of
bitters. He'd brought the beer
along in a tall cup being really
careful not to spill a drop. The
seat was only one tier up. It was
yet another fine seat with a
grassy view. Incredible!
A party of
middle-aged English ladies, who
played, sat to his right, and
Kaye and Roger Bacon from
Houston, Texas, sat on his left.
The English ladies played
regularly at their club. Kaye was
a player also and she was
excited. This was her first
Wimbledon. They had been very
lucky to get these seats, but
were unaware of this fact. Roger
was a golfer, and he had already
knocked himself out playing golf
in Scotland where the couple had
visited before coming to London.
Roger was so excited he napped
frequently.
The roar of the
crowd, welcoming Stefan Edberg
and Thierry Champion, woke Mr.
Bacon, and he managed to stay
alert until the five minute
warmup was over. Edberg served
and volleyed brilliantly to take
the first two sets. In the third
set, the momentum shifted to
Champion. After Champion
stretched his lead to 5-4, and
had won the first two points of
Edberg's serve, Edberg advanced
his throttle and won three games
in a row, dashing the Frenchman's
hopes. Scores were 6-3, 6-2, 7-5.
Edberg played some solid tennis.
So, what’s new? It's
Stefan's consistency, coupled
with his intense desire, that
makes him such a great player.
Boris Becker and
Guy Forget entered and were
greeted with loud applause. The
Wimbledon fans are the most
vociferous in the world. After
the warmup, Becker and Forget
squared off for the battle.
Forget had many chances to get on
top and stay there, but he kept
choking on the big points. Four
times in the tantalizing fourth
set tie-break, Forget had a
chance to take the match to a
fifth set, but could not convert
. . not once. Walker Joe believes
Becker was pulled from the jaws
of the whale many times by Divine
guidance. And Forget was a trifle
unlucky. Becker was extremely
cruel to himself both verbally
and physically. Twice he was
treated for flesh wounds on his
right knee. The match had been
stupendous. The final set scores
were 6-7, 7-6, 6-2, 7-6
The two
quarter-final matches had been
sensational and the price a real
bargain. This was a suitable
finale to another fabulous trip
to the second week of Wimbledon.
Reflecting on the events of the
week, Walker Joe’s gut feel
that the rains would alter the
destiny of Wimbledon had come
true. He was already thinking
about 1992 and the Somerset Road
queue, his spot at the end of a
rainbow. Should Wimbledon run
true to form, Walker Joe could
expect 1992 to yield many
delightful surprises. Yes,
Gump, Wimbledon is a box of
chocolate.
If you play the
game, you should treat yourself
to at least one Wimbledon. If you
think you are hardy enough to do
the party, backpack and save $60
each night you sleep in the
queue. It’s the only way to
get a regular priced reserved
ticket. Wimbledon provides
adequate facilities for the fans
who queue. If you don’t
play, treat yourself to the great
history, culture and
entertainment London offers. But
plan it during the Wimbledon
fortnight and drop out about noon
one day and buy a ticket for the
grounds ($12). The first week
would be the best time.
You’ll find some great
tennis inside and the
international flavor is quite
palatable. Then there’s the
wonderful smell of hops that
permeates the air near the Long
Bar. This year the tournament
runs from June 22 to July 5. Make
an early commitment to go and
save on air fare.
Walker Joe figured
his 1991 expenses: Airline ticket
$670 purchased several months in
advance during an airline price
war, food $140, 2 bed and
breakfast accommodations $75,
transportation $40, 1 Centre
Court ticket and 3 No. 1 Court
tickets $170, entertainment and
miscellaneous ($85). Are four
fabulous days at Wimbledon and
one lush pub crawl worth $1180?
My ten day trip in 1997 cost
$1570 but my B&B expenses
were really high. I only slept in
the queue one night. Did I say
slept? I only closed my eyes for
about two hours.
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