How to hack the Wimbledon queue – according to the experts ...Middle East

The first time I did the Wimbledon queue 10 years ago my friends and I were stunned by the thousands of people already placed into neat lines inside Wimbledon Park by 6am.

We were ill-prepared – naive to the point of forgetting sun cream – and on a blisteringly hot day one friend was napping in the shade near Court 18 by the early afternoon.

Play had started on the outside courts at 11am, but more than 5,000 people deep into the Wimbledon queue, we did not make it into the grounds until after midday – a wait I had not anticipated.

This is the reality of the Wimbledon queue, and having covered the tournament ever since for The i Paper, I have witnessed – from a distance – its rise in popularity thanks to a social media boom.

So is there a way of hacking the Wimbledon queue? What are the absolute essentials? And how can you guarantee tickets on Centre Court by queuing?

I asked tennis fans with years of queue knowledge to share their advice for maximising an experience as British as fish and chips, and talking about the weather.

How long will the Wimbledon queue be at 6am?

Qupdate Day one 6000 t.co/GXnAoJYlV7

Mark Martin has done the Wimbledon queue “at least” 300 times and his top tip is to beat the first tube.

Quite simply, in the first week if you arrive at Southfields – the nearest station – on the first District line tube from central London, you will have thousands ahead of you in the Wimbledon queue.

The X account @ViewFromTheQ is a very handy tool, regularly updating fans and sharing photos of people’s “queue cards”, which you will receive once inside Wimbledon Park.

So, sorry, you cannot jump the queue. You will get your card and wait in turn. Yes, it’s as British as a cup of tea, talking about the weather or repeatedly saying “sorry”.

For reference, on the opening day of Wimbledon last year there were more than 6,000 people in the queue by 6am – and almost 9,000 by 7am.

“The queue week one is a significant commitment only worth undertaking if you are a diehard tennis fan,” Emily, who has queued more than 30 times, tells The i Paper.

Emily’s tip for those merely craving strawberries on Henman Hill is to go in the second week when the queue is shorter, with women’s semi-finals day (Thursday) typically the quietest it will get all fortnight.

How to get Centre Court tickets in the Wimbledon queue

One word: camp. There are 1,500 tickets on offer for the three show courts via the Wimbledon queue – 500 each for Centre Court, No 1 Court and No 2 Court – and in the first week especially they are only attainable by camping overnight.

Last year, the queue passed 1,500 by 5pm on Sunday 29 June, the day before Wimbledon started, so if you have time to camp and enjoy an evening in the sunshine (not guaranteed) before a day of tennis, go pitch that tent.

And don’t worry about carrying a tent around the grounds once you’re in. There are left luggage facilities for any overnight equipment, and Emily says a camping chair and earplugs are both worth taking.

Stewards will call for quiet at 10pm, and you’ll then be woken up at 6am, told to pack your gear away and start forming a proper, orderly, tent-free queue. Yes, it’s as British as Colin the Caterpillar and packed beer gardens on a mild day.

Packing essentials for the Wimbledon queue

Martin, who also spoke to The i Paper in 2024, knows what to pack by now, and his list of essentials includes a power bank to charge your phone, a decent waterproof, plus plenty of fluids and snacks.

For those seeking last-minute food and drink options, near Southfields station there is a Sainsbury’s Local, a Greggs and a Gail’s (depending on your bakery budget), and several coffee shops.

In Wimbledon Park itself, there are water refill stations as well as several food and drink vendors. Generally speaking, you are allowed to leave the queue for no more than 30 minutes while going to the toilet or in search of refreshments, where you are likely to join a shorter queue.

It’s queue-ception, and yes, as British as Tim Henman eating a Sunday roast at a pub called the Red Lion.

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