Rain suspends play. Already.

Well. We managed to get as far as day two before play was suspended.

While we wait for games to restart (or the roof to be shut), here is a short video from last year featuring Elena Baltacha, who explains why playing in the rain is not A Good Thing.

More later...

Joker-vic

Day one of the Championships saw world number one, Novak Djokovic, entertaining the Centre Court crowd by pulling a golf club out of his racquet bag. His fans were quick to point out he wasn't on the golf course and realising his 'mistake' he meekly unwrapped a brand new tennis racquet. So fully equipped, he went on to defeat Juan Carlos Ferrero in straight sets. The defending champion remained relaxed and upbeat at his post-match press conference where he kept the laughs coming with tales of his dog Pierre - even Maria Sharapova couldn't resist joining in!

For me, being somewhat easily amused, first day silliness came in the form of #wimbledonfilms, a thread on Twitter where people contributed such plays on words as 'Full Metal Racket' and 'Chalk The Line'. Twitter has been busy with all the news from Wimbledon and our very own account Wimble2012 reporting early on that Venus Williams was not hitting her three 'keys' and was heading for defeat. The five-time Wimbledon champion lost in straight-sets to Elena Vesnina. So on to day two and it's a packed schedule with Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal, Petra Kvitova, Serena Williams and Andy Roddick in action... I can't wait!

And now for something completely different...

Here's a gentle start to Day 2 of the Championships for you...a rather charming cardboard cartoon video from Robin Ward.

More later...

Win tickets for the Women's singles final

Enter this competition and you could be at the Women's Singles Final on Saturday 7 July. The prize also includes a three-course lunch prior to the match at the Wingfield restaurant, which is located within the centre court building.

Advantage Wimbledon

So as the first day gets underway, I find myself almost overwhelmed by the multitude of media that is carrying Wimbledon infomation. Personally, I have one laptop running SlamTracker and Live@Wimbledon, another following live broadcasts, an iPad following Twitter feeds and the Wimbledon app and of course the television (but which channel to choose? And what about the red button, too?)

I am an end-user in this flow of infomation; it starts with the data entry specialists. But between them and me is the IBM team who collect & collate every bit/byte and turn it into something meaningful. This short video goes someway to explaining how it all happens.

Oh...and not forgetting the cables. Miles and miles of cables. This 60-second video follows just one cable from the data entry team's lofty position above Court 18 all the way down to 'the bunker'.

Quiet please...play

The crowds are let in to the grounds...and then 'kettled' in a most civilised manner.

As 10.30 approaches, a disembodied voice announces over the P.A. "Will the Stewards please open the gates". The World's press await the mad dash.

Fans dash for the outside courts to secure unreserved seats for the matches they want to see. Others, with prized show court tickets, take their time and ponder whether 10.30 is too early for a stop at the champagne stall or whether they would be better off sticking with strawberries & cream (apologies for cliché).
Play begins at 11.30 this year...thirty minutes earlier than previous years.

Very civilised kettling

The World's press await the mad dash

Too early for champagne?

A healthier option (exc. the cream)

More later...

Flamin' June: rain & court covers

The last Friday before the Championships begin is always a flurry of activity.

And amongst the fleets of white vans deliverying essential supplies and forklift trucks moving bulkier items all around the grounds, a few players wait for the rain to stop so they can get on court and practise. But then, as is so often the way with British Summers, the rain suddenly stopped and the groundstaff used the opportunity to run through their 'covers-off' procedure.

Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and both Williams sisters were out practising at various times betwen the downpours.

One good thing about all the rain we have had so far: Henman Hill is looking lush. Good enough to play tennis on.

Serena Williams	Venus Williams	Novak Djokovic
3-D viewing available this year	Going to need a bigger pot	Flamin' June
The lushness of Henman Hill

The ground covers billow in the wind, giving the impression of rolling waves.


Groundstaff run through their 'covers-off' proceedure.

Hosted on the cloud

I find this quite intriguing, we all talk about this notional cloud but it's actually really clever and conjures up all sorts of funny images in my head.

I borrowed a 'tablet device' from my husband quite some time ago.  I think he realised there was not much chance of me parting with it and so had a reasonable excuse to get a newer one.  I have become very attached to it and there seems to be no end to the things it can do.  And as for my phone, well being a phone is its most minor function since, amongst other things, it can act as a personal hotspot for the tablet. 

This year for the first time we will be able to access Live @ Wimbledon - that is live feeds from the courts!  So as long as you're connected then you can take the tennis with you wherever you are.

Déjà vu or déjà view?

There's something familiar about the BBC's trailer for this year's Championships...

With a little bit of graphic jiggery-pokery, key words appear to be wrapped around the top players - somewhat akin to a real life, skin-tight word cloud. And to give the film footage a degree of dynamic movement, a few trailing flakes of the words appear to be peeling and floating off each player.

Compare that to the marketing material used by IBM a couple of years ago, where a player, net and ball were all made up from layer upon layer of a mass of data.

Both are very effective. And as the voice-over from the BBC trailer says: "In the end, one word will set them apart - Champion".

A Short History of Tennis...

Less than a week to go now...and as we start 'build week' at the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), and things start to get busy in and around the grounds, we've included a few more short videos clips for you.

In an interview for Croatian TV, Cameron Brown (author of Wimbledon: A Short History of Tennis, the Club, the Championships, the Village) gives some interesting history and insights about Wimbledon.

A couple of things I would say in response to Mr. Brown...people can still get into the grounds of an evening when other people leave; using some pretty straightforward I.T., the AELTC adopts a one-out, one-in policy and tickets can be re-used if the original ticket holder leaves before the end of play for the day. All money from the re-sale then goes to charity.

Also, when asked who was the last British player to win Wimbledon, Mr. Brown said it was Fred Perry. Now, Mr. Perry might have been the last Brit to win the Mens' Singles title...but what about the Ladies' title? Feel free to use the comment option below and reassure me I'm not going mad.

Oh and croquet isn't only played on the lawns of grand, old English houses. Just 98% of the time.

France -v- Egypt

Just in case you are beginning to worry that this behind the scenes blog is starting to look a little 'corporate-heavy'...please don't fret. The videos posted here so far are just little warm-ups (from last year) for the main event. We haven't included any quirky or unusual stories or photos so far because, frankly, they haven't happened yet (this is a blog after all - not a TARDIS and/or crystal ball).

But for those of you after a couple of snippets of tennis info...

Some say that the word ‘tennis’ comes from Old French ‘tenes’ (modern ‘tenez’, imperative of ‘tenir’), meaning ‘to hold’. Also, there is an Egyptian town on the Nile called Tinnis (in Arabic) and some believe the game may have its roots here.

Now you just need to find the right trivia quiz....

Getting closer...

In addition to being the most prestigious tennis event in the world, giving the crowds the information that brings them closer to the players (see "The Passion of Fans") and the whole sporting event, is key to the enduring success and popularity of Wimbledon.

But so much of the information dissemination is tacit and unseen - the fans don't necessarily make the connection between being an avid Nadal or Murray follower simply because they follow them on blogs, tweets, track their performances (in real-time) and (somewhat akin to proto-stalkers) track them around the grounds on their smartphones.

As seen in this short video clip from last year, when asked what they liked most about the 2011 Championships, fans talk of their favourite players and the whole Wimbledon experience (including, for one, fond memories of a streaker from a previous year) - but because they have had access to such a wealth of information, they feel as if they really know their favourites before the Championships even begin.

[If you're having trouble viewing the video on this page, you may want to watch the video here.]

The Passion of Fans

"The closer a fan gets to a player, the more passion they feel about that player and that passion drives them to want to get more information."

As the experience of following tennis - and other sports - continues to evolve over the coming years, fans will come to expect deeper engagement with all aspects of the sport. Fans are more engaged than they have ever been before and they want to consume more information. Higher engagement means smarter fans and smarter fans means more passion.

This short video clip from last year shows some of how technology can be used to give the fans what they crave.

[If you're having trouble viewing the video on this page, you may want to watch the video here.]

• A variety of more videos will appear on this blog as part of the build up to this year's Championships - follow the blog and come back soon.

While you are waiting...

As the countdown continues to tick (32 days and counting), here is a short video clip from last year that shows something of what some people call a perfect doubles match.
[If you're having trouble viewing the video on this page, you may want to watch the video here.]

More video clips from previous years will appear on this blog as part of the build up to this year's event.

• Come back soon and watch some more...

The countdown begins

Plans are in place and we are returning to give you the behind the scenes look all that goes on at this year's championships.

Bookmark this page, grab the RSS feed, add it to your Facebook account and Tweet about it - because before you know it, it will be June 25th and this year's championships will have begun.