The Championships
Wimbledon
Men's Finals Day - 13 July

The Grounds pass - Cheapest way to experience Wimbledon

Back when I was making plans to watch the cricket at Lord’s, I was delighted to note that it would also be Finals Weekend at Wimbledon. Now, tickets for Wimbledon—especially Centre Court—are a whole story in themselves, with the infamous ballot process and all. For Finals Weekend, it’s virtually impossible for the average person to get Centre Court tickets unless you’re willing to pay upwards of £650 (and that’s just the starting rate for debenture seats).

The easiest way to enjoy the atmosphere is by securing a Grounds Pass and soaking it all in from “The Hill” or the other giant screen at the Southern Village—probably the best way to experience Wimbledon without breaking the bank!

Getting There

I was determined to take the chance, though it was going to be a pretty hectic day—and I was ready for it. Up bright and early at 5:20 AM in Manchester, I headed to the airport for a 7:10 AM flight to Heathrow. After landing around 8:10, I grabbed a quick brekkie at the airport before beginning the 80-minute journey to Wimbledon.

To get there, I took two Underground trains and arrived at Southfields Station at about 9:45 AM. Southfields is actually closer to the Wimbledon grounds (a good 15-minute walk) than the Wimbledon Station itself, which offers shuttle buses to the grounds (about £8 return fare) but involves a longer walk.

As soon as you exit Southfields Station, there are clear signs guiding you either to the main entrance (if you already have tickets) or to join The Queue (look it up—it’s an experience in itself!).

Everyone was heading to Wimbledon!

Yes please!

The Queue!

I got in the Queue and was assigned a queue card (No. 2241) at 09:55 AM. It was a long, snaking line, moving slowly, but the ushers were constantly engaging with us and there was a good mix of interesting people around, sharing stories.

I kept checking the Wimbledon website to see if there were any updates (and whether I stood a chance of getting a Grounds Pass, which was all I was hoping for!). At one point, I saw a notice on the website discouraging people from joining the Queue, given the long wait ahead. That made me a bit uncertain, was I too late?

Around 10:20 AM, to my happiness, I overheard ushers mentioning that Court 1 tickets were still available for anyone interested. That gave me hope that I might still land a Grounds Pass!

Sure enough, the line steadily moved closer to the ticket counters, and by about 11:00 AM, I got my Grounds Pass—to much joy and elation. My day was made!

Relief, as i was about to enter the line to the grounds

Security check done, the ground staff welcomed us with bright smiles and warm hellos. I was at Wimbledon on the last day of the Championships! It was around 11:15 AM, and my plan was to explore the grounds, cover the entire arena, do some souvenir shopping, and grab a quick lunch—before parking myself near The Hill by about 1 PM, three hours before the men’s final kicked off at 4.

Everything, everywhere was incredibly well organized. There were lines for everything (but they moved quickly), and there was always an usher or volunteer nearby to assist and keep everyone in good spirits.

There was a line to enter the gift shop (to manage the crowd inside), a line for photos near Fred Perry’s statue, lines for strawberries, lunch, water refills—even for buying used balls! But everything was handled with such efficiency and grace and the patrons showed great discipline throughout.

It was another hot day, but the happy faces and vibrant atmosphere made it an unforgettable experience.

I made it - Unreal!

Two best players at this time.

The Gift Shop for No. 1 Court

There was a line for this also - Fred Perry at Center Court

A line for this!

2.7 GBP

The strawberries were perfectly bite sized, about 11/12 pieces, full fat cream which would make Tom cat happy. Now, outside at a Tesco for 2.5 GBP one would get probably about 500 gms of Strawberry, but hey it's wimbledon and you are OK with it. Haji Ali's was better though :)

Court 2 - The graveyard of seeds

I loved the opportunity to be in Court 2, often known as the graveyard of seeds. Boris Becker used to dread playing here. Over the years even the Wimbledon committee has come to a situation that they try their best to not schedule the top 5 players in this court. I had also kept this court as a backup option, in case it got crowded at the hill and this was the only court which had a TV screen which would broadcast the final.

Court 1 and Centre Court - From Court 2

The Southern Village - Viewing area

12 GBP Mac and Cheese

I had to choose between a pasta and a pizza and i wisely chose the pasta, it was the quite expensive but the pine nuts made it quite filling and for the next 7 hours i did not have to worry about eating!

The walkway from the members to Centre court

I finally reached The Hill around 1 PM and it was already packed. I was prepared to park myself in the sun, but I took a chance on a small area just above the hill, which had a garden and a bit of shaded cover. Fortunately, I was lucky to find a spot with some elderly ladies who were gracious enough to let me share their space (I returned the favor by taking some good photos of them!).

For the next two hours, before the match started, I tuned into Day 4 of the Test at Lord’s, where India had just begun to open up England’s batting, with Joe Root trying to hold things together. I was clear—I was not going to move—because once you do, there is no guarantee you’ll get your spot back!

Now, if you follow Wimbledon, you would know that the men’s final usually starts around 2:15 PM BST (6:45 PM IST). My return flight to Doha was at 9:45 PM. So, when I had made this all-day plan, it seemed like i would be comfortable with time, even after a four-hour final, to make it to the airport in time. But in a move aimed at boosting TV viewership and adjusting coverage for other matches, the final was scheduled for a 4:15 PM BST start.

Bummer. That meant I would only get to watch about three sets at most and would need to leave by 6:20 PM at the latest—since I had an 80-minute journey to Terminal 4. I had to retrieve my big bag from luggage storage, change, repack, and maybe grab a bite before reaching my gate by 8:45 PM.

By 3:40 PM, as the women’s doubles final wrapped up, the excitement was building. I must’ve told at least a hundred people who wandered into our area that it was full—every inch was taken, with blankets laid out and people packed in, waiting for the big game to begin. And it did, right around 4:10 PM.

I switched off the cricket and turned my full attention to the tennis—after all, that’s what I was there for! The crowd on The Hill was clearly backing Carlos Alcaraz. Not many players have won three Wimbledons in a row, so the loudest cheers were definitely for him. He seemed to be in control at first, but as Jannik Sinner began to settle in—making fewer mistakes—Alcaraz started to lose a bit of concentration.

The next 2 hours and 10 minutes flew by. I was hoping Alcaraz would go two sets up, but that momentum shifted, and it was clear this was going to be, at the very least, a four-set match.

At 6:15 PM, I kept glancing at my watch, then quietly made my way down from The Hill and began the long walk to Southfields Tube Station. Although the match was hanging in the balance, I walked away feeling grateful and satisfied—with a heart full from experiencing one of the most revered sporting arenas in the world.