Photos: The All England Club opens its doors for Wimbledon 2019 fortnight
Updated On Jul 02, 2019 05:10 PM IST
Play has started at the All England Club in London, England –home to the Mecca of tennis, Wimbledon. A look at the atmosphere leading up to and on Monday - Day One, of the third but perhaps the most hotly anticipated Grand Slam tournament of the year.
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An enthusiastic tennis fan has his hair dyed the colour of a Slazenger ball on day one of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, England on July 1, 2019. Tennis fans from all over the globe have descended on Wimbledon for the world-famous Grand Slam.
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Serbia’s Novak Djokovic falls to the ground as he plays Germany’s Philip Kohlschreiber in a Men’s singles match during day one of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships. The competition kicked off yesterday with Djokovic beginning the defence of his men’s singles title on Centre Court at 1pm with a 6-3, 7-5, 6-3 sweep. (Kirsty Wigglesworth / AP)
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A dog is posed in a seat ahead of the start of Wimbledon on June 30, 2019. Not alone though… many eager fans spent the two days leading up to the event camping outside the All England Club hoping for a chance to secure courtside views. (Hannah McKay / REUTERS)
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Groundstaff prepare the court before play. Britain’s summer burst of heat from across the continent ended being short-lived following a 34C Saturday in London. Cool air from Greenland is said to have plummeted temperatures to highs of 22C and cloudy skies just in time for the first serve. (Carl Recine / REUTERS)
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Trays of strawberries sit at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. The change in weather will lead to good playing conditions in coming days with sunny spells and clear skies interspersed with some cloud and gentle winds. Meteorologists have however warned of higher UV and pollen levels. (Carl Recine / REUTERS)
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The Order of Play board is prepared at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Naomi Osaka’s 16-match Grand Slam winning streak has been followed by a two-match losing streak at majors. On a wild Day 1 at the All England Club, No. 2 Osaka was the highest-seeded and most-accomplished player to leave the scene, beaten 7-6 (4), 6-2 by Yulia Putinseva. (Hannah McKay / REUTERS)
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Britain’s Heather Watson in action during her first round match against Caty McNally of the US. New this year on the courts is the scrapping of prefixes such as ‘Miss’ and ‘Mrs’, for the most part, ending a long-held tradition and bringing parity with the men’s game. Heather Watson was among those to welcome the move, saying: “Equality is always good.” (Hannah McKay / REUTERS)
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A view of the match between Romania’s Simona Halep and Belarus’ Aliaksandra Sasnovich. Halep, who entered the tournament ranked number one this time last year, swept past Sasnovich into the second round 6-4 7-5 but kept measured expectations as “it’s a chill year” and she’s focussed on “normal” things, spending time with family and going out more. (Toby Melville / REUTERS)
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Spectators watch the action on a big screen. If past years trends repeat themselves, nearly half a million spectators will turn up to watch their favourite players in action in the days to come. A total attendance of 473,169 across 13 days was recorded in 2018. (Carl Recine / REUTERS)
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China’s Lin Zhu in action during her first round match against Czech Republic’s Karolina Pliskova. While Centre Court is the ultimate destination at Wimbledon, 17 others make for plenty of opportunity to get really close to the talents of world-class players and witness the intensity of such an elite tournament. (Hannah McKay / REUTERS)
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A spectator’s ornate hat at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on Monday. In recent years, the dress code for spectators has become more relaxed but dressing smartly is still an unofficial expectation. Those in the Royal Box in particular are asked not to wear hats, in case it blocks the view of others around them. (REUTERS)
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Wimbledon gardener Christopher McCarron puts the finishing touches to a display at The All England Tennis Club, ahead of play on the first day. (Glyn Kirk / AFP)
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A couple of girls sit in their tents while they camp for a spot further up in the queue to buy tickets on the first day of the 2019 Wimbledon Championships tennis tournament. Wimbledon is one of few remaining major sporting events in the United Kingdom that still sells tickets on the day of play. (Ben Stansall / AFP)
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Spectators queue, in true British style, to enter The All England Tennis Club in Wimbledon on the first day of the 2019 Wimbledon Championships. Only a limited number of tickets are available daily for Centre Court and courts No. 1 and No. 2, except for the last four nailbiting days when all are sold in advance. (Daniel Leal-Olivas / AFP)
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