If you’d like to go and watch the tennis at Wimbledon this year, it’s not too late.
And if you’re on a budget don’t be put off by the strawberries and cream and VIP spectators, there is still hope for those wanting to experience one of Britain’s most prestigious sporting events on a shoestring.
But if your wallet is a little heavier, we’ve thought of you too. Here’s how to get the best out of Wimbledon, whether your budget is £25, £250, £2,500 or £25,000.
£25
Full-day ground passes for the Championships’ first week come in at £25. Grounds admission after 5pm in the opening week costs £18, while in the latter stages of competition drops to £14.
Ground passes allow access to unreserved seating and standing on courts three to 19, and punters can queue on the day – though expect a five-to-six-hour wait.
Wimbledon Park plays host to those hardy enough to camp out overnight in a bid to be the first through the gates when doors open at 10.30am.
A late arrival to cut the cost of a grounds pass can still leave enough change from that £25 budget for one of the best pizzas in town.
Franco Manca on Wimbledon Park Road, just down from Southfields underground station, offers authentic sourdough pizza cooked in a wood-burning oven – crucially here, at reasonable prices.
Standard pizzas range from £4.50 to £6.95, while extra toppings and specials can nudge the cost.
Given its location en route back from the All England Club to the tube, expect a lively, family-friendly atmosphere throughout the Championships.
They don’t take bookings, so just turn up and try your luck.
£250
The public ballot still aims to distribute tickets to Centre Court and Courts One, Two and Three in the fairest possible manner.
The ballot is long since closed for this year, however, leaving a limited number of show-court tickets available for purchase at the turnstiles each day.
These tickets cannot be booked in advance, giving rise to the majority of those camping out in Wimbledon Park.
Centre Court tickets for the Championships’ final four days are not sold at the turnstiles, but tickets can still be snapped up through the queue for the men’s quarter-finals.
A limited number of Centre Court tickets for Wednesday, July 8 – slated to play host to the men’s quarters and the women’s doubles semi-finals – can be purchased at the turnstiles for £119 apiece.
If the combination of a night’s camping, queuing at sunrise and a day’s breathless tennis action is not enough to sate your appetite, head to The White Onion on the High Street in Wimbledon Village for high-quality but fuss-free contemporary French cuisine.
Formerly The Lawn Bistro, the perfectly placed restaurant has had a summer makeover just in time for the Championships.
Expect to pay in the region of £50 per person for a three-course meal, with wines starting around £24 per bottle.
£2,500
The options to embrace Wimbledon in style are vast, with hospitality packages aplenty for the discerning, and cash-comfortable punter.
Sportsworld and Keith Prowse offer official hospitality packages for UK customers, with many and varied options.
Keith Prowse’s Players’ Table Hospitality package starts at £760 per person, plus VAT, with prices ranging widely given both the day and the action.
A Centre Court debenture for the men’s singles final along with Players’ Table hospitality runs to £4,715 per person plus VAT – but the same hospitality for a Number One Court seat for the men’s singles quarter-finals rounds out at £1675 plus VAT a head.
The hospitality package includes complimentary bar, a four-course meal designed by top chef Albert Roux and a traditional afternoon tea, for starters.
Throw in a garden area to relax, a luxury chauffeur car service for journeys within the M25, and a tennis celebrity to meet and greet guests, and that’s where the money goes.
If there’s any inclination, funds and appetite remaining after all that, then the ever-popular Thai Tho on the Wimbledon Village High Street will round things off nicely.
With walls adorned with tennis memorabilia and pictures of top stars like Maria Sharapova trying the fare, the bustling curry house is ideal for any Thai food fan in town for the tennis.
Starters will weigh in at around £6.50 with mains nearing the £9 mark.
After all that haute cuisine in the day, a change of pace as much as palate may just hit the spot.
£25,000
For the true high-rollers, Sportsworld can offer a four-day stay at Westminster’s five-star Corinthia Hotel and tickets for the men’s singles semi-finals and the men’s singles final.
Two days of VIP hospitality awaits, with underground travel from central London to Southfields and shuttle buses to and from the All England Club thrown in.
For the princely sum of £9,995 per person, this is the way to take in the latter stages of the men’s draw in lavish style.
For the chance to keep mingling with the stars, head to San Lorenzo Fuoriporta in Wimbledon Village, where almost every top name in tennis has eaten over the years.
Last of the asparagus Brittanicus. #sanlorenzo #wimbledon pic.twitter.com/yYrxhm5f
— San Lorenzo (@fuoriporta) July 22, 2012
Main courses range from around £20 to £40, but this is one eatery where the history and the backdrop have far greater pull than any desire to do serious damage to a credit rating.
Source: SNAPPA
