I arrived at Wimbledon shortly after 11am. There it was again, the 13.5-acre oasis of pastured perfection. Yet as soon as I set eyes on it, I was sent the other way. Up a hill. To the tail of a very long snake of people.
Apparently the gates hadn’t been opened on time. Hundreds of ticket-holders ended up walking more than a mile, in a circle. Inside, the tennis started without us. Many certainties have been shaken by the pandemic but had the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club really forgotten how to organise a queue?
So, yes, the return of Wimbledon had a few slips. The most consequential ones were literal: Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray all crashed to the grass, undone by the damp surface. “It’s so dangerous,” grumbled Murray. But neither he nor Williams, whose fall ended her participation, nor indeed anyone else, complained much. “I don’t mind falling more if the result is winning a match,” said Djokovic.