Wimbledon Diary: Auto rides & Fan cheers
A jazzed up, illuminated version of our humble auto rickshaws are plying their trade at Wimbledon. As the nearest tube stations are a good 20-30 minutes' walk away from the grounds, and in slightly uneven terrain, a handful of autos are willing to save you the uphill/downhill climb. Of course, at a steep price. Pound 20 for a mile-long ride. Most give it a pass. But those in the spirit of attending the Championships or caught out by the rain or the very hot temperatures, do hop onto them.
Strawberries & Cream
Cost of living crisis has caught up even with Wimbledon's most famous staple. For the first time in 15 years the price has been upped by 20 pence from pound 2.50 to pound 2.70. This is for a small portion, mind. Not that there seems to be a drop in the number of people buying it. About 1,40,000 punnets are sold every year. That's roughly about two million strawberries! A punnet is a small container that is used to hold a portion of strawberries.
The English media has been documenting the increase in price of almost all food and drink at the grounds this year. But given that Wimbledon is one of the rare sporting events that allows you to bring in your own food and drink, those on a budget do just fine.
Fans at Centre Court
The Italians are the most cheerful and the loudest. The Carlos Alcaraz – Fabio Fognini matchup on Day1 where the latter, playing his last Wimbledon, took the defending champion to five sets provided the perfect setting for full-throated support. `C'mon Fabio' was often accompanied by 'Vamos Fabio.' Given that Vamos is Spanish for 'Let's go' one wondered if it was aimed as much at Carlos as Fabio!
Then there are the Serbs. Given that Novak Djokovic is a demi-god if not a sporting God to them, they make for a very partisan support base. Cheers for Nole (Novak's nickname) rend the air for every good play as much as bad. The latter has been very rare so far. 'Let's go Nole, let's go,' is a favourite as are some Serbian chants. Djokovic's current 'pump-it-up' win celebration has his fans mimicking it during the closing stages of the match.
Box behaviour
One can tell who a higher-ranked player is or has been on tour for a long time from the behaviour of the respective player's boxes, especially in the 'show courts.' The more famous, seasoned pros' boxes are generally rather quieter with not loud cheering and pumping of fists. They obviously have been here before and pretty much seen it all – the ups and downs during a match/tournament. Week 1 has seen fancied players and seeds bite the dust, or should we say the `grass?' The reaction was muted either because they are stunned or just resigned. Alexander Zverev, the 3rd seed, who crashed out in the very first round, in a big upset, kept gesturing helplessly to his box as his famous serve came undone throughout the match.
The lower ranked, the less fancied, have a more animated support group. Instructions flow ceaselessly in between games. More friends and family turn up as it's a rare chance to be able to sit in a player's box in Centre court or Court No.1.
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