A tall order for Murray?

The second match on Centre Court today sees Andy Murray taking on Croatian, Ivo Karlovic.  Andy has won their three previous encounters although he knows he may not get things all his own way and this will be quite a different experience from his first-round match against Nikolay Davydenko.  Ivo Karlovic is 6'10" tall before he puts on his grass court tennis shoes and from this lofty position he has hit 305 aces from his 21 matches this year.

It must be the day for top seeds taking on the tall guys of tennis as next up on Centre will be Rafael Nadal against 6'5" Czech, Lukas Rosol. They have never played before but Rafa is expected to have the upper hand.  It will be interesting to see what SlamTracker comes up with for these matches.

Well, just about an hour to go before the show courts start buzzing, it's only day 4 but shaping up to be another great Championships!

Wimbledon.com: The Beauty or The Beast?

Reading through the plethora of Wimbledon-related comments on Twitter, there appear to be two things that have got some fans' blood simmering (boiling would be too strong a word; these are civilised tennis fans after all).

One is the roof. And the fact it wasn't closed on Tuesday evening. Well, I must say that I'm with the Officials on this one: Wimbledon is an outdoor Championship. Not an indoor one that happens to have grass growing inside. But I will be discussing the roof in more detail in a later post on this blog.

The other thing that has drawn mixed reactions from fans is the new Wimbledon.com website. This is looking like a real Marmite opinion generator; people seem to either love it or hate it.

The All England Club and IBM said Wimbledon.com has been completely re-designed to reflect the 'heritage and appeal' of the event and provide visitors with a more creative and immersive experience through improved content, more powerful imagery and intuitive navigation process.

Built on IBM’s Smartcloud infrastructure to meet surges in demand, the website integrates a new online broadcast channel, Live @ Wimbledon, alongside the interactive analytics-enabled IBM SlamTracker scoreboard.

Featuring TV and radio, Live @ Wimbledon will blend live action from around the grounds by dropping into matches at crucial points in play with the “off-court colour of a day at The Championships”. The resident presenters are former players Mats Wilander and Annabel Croft.

“We've created a new website which features increased options for people to personalise their Wimbledon experience," said Mick Desmond, commercial director, at the All England Club. "Visitors can follow the progress of their favourite players, view live match play clips of the day’s action, and access scores and results delivered in real-time.  We expect this increasingly engaging and personalised online experience to appeal to fans in ever greater numbers.”

Meanwhile, SlamTracker is designed to provide fans with deeper insight into matches through predictive analytics technology. It's a multifaceted feature of Wimbledon's digital presence that uses both historical and real-time data to add depth and insight to the Championship experience. The Momentum capability maps a match in real-time, visualising key turning points and their causes, such as winners, aces and so on.

The Keys to the Match feature in SlamTracker uses both historical and immediate data to determine the top three things a player must do in order to do well in a specific match. And it's proving to be very accurate.

And as mentioned in our earlier post about SlamTracker, it's an example of how analytics drives insights for tennis, the uses for businesses are almost infinite.

Personally, I love the new website. It gives far greater understanding and insight into the Wimbledon Championships. It feels like it has a lot of computing power behind it and it is giving a great experience for fans, players, coaches and officials alike.

But I can imagine that such technological advances may be too much for some. I guess there are those that find too much innovation and change a little daunting.

And you can probably spot them quite easily: They'll be the ones shouting "Come on Tim!" at their televisions. Which they probably bought from Rumbelows. In 1983.

The roof is out there

Naturally our preferred view would be a big blue sky but the £80m retractable Centre Court roof, built in 2009, is back in use today. Last year 41 matches on outside courts were lost in a single day due to the rain. As well as protection from the unpredictable English weather the roof has allowed matches to carry on when bad light would previously have stopped play. In 2010 the Djokovic v Rochus match didn't end until 10.59pm, around 90 minutes later than play would have ended without the roof. Play is always suspended at 11pm regardless of the conditions.

The roof can be closed in under 10 minutes although it takes about half an hour for the air management system to remove condensation and ensure the surface conditions are ideal for tennis.  A roof for Court One has been discussed but it has not been confirmed even as a long-term plan. Perhaps Sir Cliff needs to get tickets for matches played here just in case he's needed for impromptu entertainment in the future!

SlamTracker: What is it & how does it work?

We followed four main matches yesterday (Robson v Shiavone, Tsonga v Hewitt, Nadal v Bellucci and Murray v Davydenko), and tweeted to the Wimble2012 Twitter account whenever SlamTracker threw up some news-worthy statistics. 

And every one of the 'Keys to the Match' were 100% correct. It meant we could share our comments on who we thought would win a match significantly earlier - and with more confidence - than others.

But what exactly is SlamTracker?

SlamTracker is IBM's tennis scorecard, designed to provide real-time scores and statistics to share around the world on a variety of devices for all matches in progress.

But SlamTracker is more than just a scoreboard. It's been evolved it into multi-functional analytics dashboard that uses sophisticated analytics software to provide:

• New ways to enhance the experience of a tennis match.
• Real-time visualisation of a tennis match using the scores and statistics.
• 'At a glance' view, which provides fans with a visual representation of the match to help indicate which player is winning and which player currently has the 'momentum'.
• An enhanced fan experience which deepens their relationship with the tournament by allowing them to interact with the scores and stats to gain deeper insight into a match.

SlamTracker also uses analytical software to present the 'Keys to the Match' feature.

And this bit is really nifty...

The software studies the past seven years' worth of Grand Slam data to look for patterns. In particular, it looks at every time two players have met each other, and works out what three things each player must do if they are to stand a chance of winning. These are known as the 'three keys', and an example might be 'Nadal has to serve consistently above 113mph' or 'Roddick has to win more then 29% of first serves with an ace'.

The 'three keys' are published just before the match commences, and the SlamTracker 'Keys to the Match' dashboard is updated in real time assessing progress against each key for each player.

• If you want to find out more, click here or you can watch the videos on YouTube.

And if you want to load SlamTracker and see it for yourself, click here.

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.