2023 Wimbledon Experience

You probably know that Marketa Vondrousova beat Ons Jabeur in the Ladie’s Singles Wimbledon Final. But, did you know that I practiced on the court next to her before her match, and that I got a picture with her just 10 minutes after she won? You probably didn’t, but that is just one of the many surreal things I experienced during my time at The Championships 2023, including being outside Center Court during the Men’s Singles Wimbledon Final and watching the final live on Henman Hill.

The whole reason I was there in the first place is because I was one of 16 boys selected for the Wimbledon U14 tournament. This tournament is a new one which only started last year, but obviously difficult to get into because they hold the selection themselves and there are only 16 participants in the boys and girls division. The first week I was in London was spent practicing on the grass courts of Roehampton, where Wimbledon Qualifying and the junior’s J300 takes place. I was able to hit with some of the other participants in the tournament and gain some rhythm on the grass. This was my first time playing on grass, but the surface didn’t feel slippery or strange to me, and I was able to move quite comfortably once I bought a pair of grass court shoes in London. Photos with some of the U14 participants:

After Roehampton, we got a tour of the player’s locker room, warm-up area, and the practice courts at Wimbledon on the day before our tournament started. The first thing I saw when I got off the bus to Wimbledon was Jannik Sinner absolutely ripping backhands on the practice courts. The next day, I was warming up for my match on court with another player, and Daniil Medvedev, Novak Djokovic, and Jannik Sinner were on the courts directly adjacent to ours. I even saw Carlos Alcaraz in the warm-up area waiting for his match to be called! I also saw many other pros or former pros in the grounds such as Rohan Bopanna, Sania Mirza, Caroline Wozniacki, Andy Murray, and Mansour Bahrami.

The next couple of days went by without seeing any pros because there was a lot of rain and it was the last couple rounds of the pro’s tournament, but I was able to qualify for the semi-finals, where I lost to Svit Suljic. Overall, it was not the best tournament for me, but it was a fantastic experience and my first experience to play on the grass and see all the pros and the top juniors practicing, warming up, in the physio room for recovery, and obviously playing their matches. Finally, I would like to thank the Wimbledon physio Mr. Tom and my tennis coach Nick Fustar who was with me throughout the tournament.