Is Wimbledon Used All Year Round?

Wimbledon is used all year round by the members of the All England Club, who use all of the courts apart from two: Court 1 and Centre Court. These two courts are only used during the two weeks of the Wimbledon Championships.

The Wimbledon Championships take place over two weeks every year, usually in late June and early July. This post is all about what happens at Wimbledon the rest of the year.

Is Wimbledon Used All Year Round?

The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (also known as the All England Club), where the Wimbledon Championships takes place, is a private members’ club. It has 500 full, life and honorary members who use the courts all year round. As mentioned, this is except for Centre Court and Court 1 which are only used during the Wimbledon Championships.

Can You Visit Wimbledon Tennis Courts?

Yes, it is possible to visit the tennis courts at Wimbledon, but you will need to book in advance through the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum. The museum, located on Church Road, is open 7 days a week from 10am to 5pm, and offers tours throughout the day.

Find out below what you will see if you visit Wimbledon throughout the year.

All England Club Grounds

If you take a tour of Wimbledon, you will be able to walk around the grounds of the All England club, and see the main courts where the Wimbledon tournament takes place.

The photograph below shows some of the outdoor courts you can visit within the club grounds. The dress code for the club is white, so if you see anyone dressed in white on the courts, they are club members.

During the tour you are able to visit areas that members of the public are not normally allowed into. This includes the balcony by the members’ area of the All England Club. From here you can see the spot where the Wimbledon champion holds up the trophy for the crowds to see (shown below).

From the same spot, you can also see the staircase where the TV cameras normally wait for the players to come out of the changing rooms, to walk through to Centre Court. The entrance to the changing rooms is behind the frosted glass in the picture below. During the men’s finals the TV cameras usually follow the players from this point onto the court.

If you walk around the grounds of the club throughout the year, you can also see the order of play from the Wimbledon Championships last year. This remains unchanged throughout the year for the benefit of tourists who come to visit.

Centre Court

Centre Court is not used throughout the year, but is open for members of the public to visit through the guided tour. Centre Court is the only court in Wimbledon which has a royal box. You can see the in photograph below, the royal box is straight ahead in beige.

Beneath Centre Court you will find a row of plaques with the names of previous champions. They include tennis players from the men’s and women’s singles, the doubles, mixed doubles, and wheelchair singles. There are also photographs along the walls from famous matches.

Court 1

Court 1 is one of the Show Courts, which means it is used during the Wimbledon Championships. It has a retractable roof, like Centre Court, so it can be used in all weather conditions.

In the photograph below you can see the retractable roof above Court 1, as well as some construction work as the court is being prepared for the Championships this summer.

Court 18

Court 18 is famously known as the court where the longest match in Wimbledon’s history took place. The match was played in 2010 between American John Isner and Frenchman Nicolas Mahut.

The first-round match lasted for an incredible 11 hours and 5 minutes, and took place over three days. Isner ultimately emerged as the victor, with a final score of 70-68 in the fifth set.

The plaque on the wall of Court 18 (shown below) is a fitting tribute to the enduring legacy of Isner and Mahut’s historic match, and a reminder of the incredible moments that can occur during the Wimbledon Championships.

Henman Hill

Henman Hill, also known as Aorangi Terrace, is a grassy bank next to Court 1. During the Championships, tennis fans who do not have Show Court tickets can gather here to watch matches on a big screen on the side of Court 1. During the rest of the year Henman Hill is not used, and visitors are not permitted to walk on the grass.

The grassy bank is named Aorangi Terrace after Aorangi Park, the London New Zealand Rugby Club’s grounds, which used to be on this site until 1981. 

Press Area

The press area at Wimbledon is only used during the two weeks of the Championships, and left empty the rest of the year. Each media outlet is currently given its own desk (shown below), however the All England Club are currently building a new world-class Media Pavilion, in the centre of the grounds. The new pavilion will consist of two buildings containing world-leading media and editing facilities.

In the past, all information about the matches at Wimbledon would be sent as printed sheets to the press room, and placed in the slots shown in the photograph below. Today however everything is online, so the wooden slots remain empty all year. There is only one paper that is still printed every year at Wimbledon, and brought to the press room. This is from the Royal Family, to confirm which members will be attending.

Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum

The Lawn Tennis Museum and shop are both open all year round, and mainly visited by tourists. The museum has displays about the history of tennis, the history of the All England Club, tennis balls, tennis clothing, and the Championship Trophies. The photograph below was taken inside the museum.

Wingfield Cafe Wimbledon

The Wingfield Cafe at Wimbledon, is also open all year round and serves delicious sandwiches and cakes. During the Championships it serves fresh strawberries, but the rest of the year, the strawberries are made into jam. The jam is then used to make a Victoria Sponge cake, or served with scones.

Eating strawberries at Wimbledon is an old tradition that dates back to Victorian times. The photograph below shows a homemade Victoria Sponge cake made with Wimbledon strawberries.

What Happens at Wimbledon to Prepare for the Championships?

In the months leading up to the Wimbledon Championships, the All England Lawn Tennis Club is completely re-painted and re-varnished, so that by the summer everything looks brand new.

There are also fans and heaters permanently in place over the courts to prevent the seeds of weeds settling on the grass. The grass is also monitored, watered, handed weeded and mowed every day to keep it in pristine condition.

You can see in the photograph below someone checking the grass on Court 1. This was in March, four months before the Championships start.

The photograph below shows one of the huge fans that are blowing all year round at Wimbledon. The fans prevent seeds from settling on the grass, causing weeds to grow. Keeping weeds out of the grass is crucial to maintaining the high-quality playing surface required for the Wimbledon Championships.

Heaters are also placed over the courts all year round to keep the grass in top condition. All the courts are made from natural grass, and since 2021 have been sown with 100% Perennial Ryegrass, which is strong and durable. The photograph below shows Court 18 with a heater positioned over the grass, to protect it from weeds.

Can you Play Tennis at Wimbledon?

The tennis courts at Wimbledon are only for use by club members, however the All England Lawn Tennis Club currently have plans to build 39 new courts, including 7 grass courts, which will be free for the public to use.

These courts are part of the AELTC Wimbledon Park Project, to create a new 23 acre public park, on what was previously a private golf course. When the project is complete members of the local community will be able to play tennis at Wimbledon all year round.

Other Posts Related to Wimbledon

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This Post Was About What Wimbledon is Used for All Year Round

Thank you for reading my post about what Wimbledon is used for all year round. The Wimbledon Championships is held at the The All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club, which was originally founded in 1868 as The All England Croquet Club. It is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, and the only of the Grand Slams still held on grass.

Some of the big names that have played there include Roger Federer, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, John McEnroe, Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf, Virginia Wade, Pete Sampras, Martina Navratilova, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, and Nick Kyrgios.