Shropshire Star

Blog: It's Happy Monday for tennis fans

For tennis fans this is traditionally Happy Monday. Whoever is raising trophies in a couple of weeks' time, a whole fortnight of super tennis beckons as Wimbledon opens its fabulous grounds once more for the best summer date of them all.

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Those who are able to be there will pay, queue, camp out, barter for tickets, do anything to join the experience. The millions more who can't be at the hallowed home of big time tennis, will be glued to TV sets and endless coverage. They will often take their annual holidays to make the most of it all.

And it starts today. Will Andy make it another golden moment with a second Wimbledon title? Will we see new champions? Will the sun shine? Will records be broken? We so look forward to finding out, joining in, being part of the great Wimbledon story. Are you ready? Then serve!

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Everybody takes happy snaps of big occasions nowadays on their mobile phones, don't they. Not if you are a happy tennis fan at Wimbledon this year.

There is a ban on recording your hero of the hour. While clicking away during matches is not on – we'd all be complaining then – what is wrong with a quick pic as players appear and once there is a winner to raise his or her arms in victory.

Well it seems that tournament bosses think such little snapshots might affect their lucrative broadcasting deals. Hmmm! I suppose that's real life but sad for real sport.

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By the time we get to the Aegon International finals at Eastbourne on the Saturday before Wimbledon, it almost seems that the big one has started. And in a way, it has. The players are geared, fans are in the mood and whoever wins Aegon suddenly becomes one to really watch. This weekend surprise candidate 18-year-old Belinda Bencic snatched a 6-0 final set victory from favourite Agnieszka Radwanska. But then, Belinda who claimed her first WTA title, is Swiss. If I say Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka, need we say more?

And for us, another highlight of the presentations was seeing the first woman president of the Lawn Tennis Association handing over the coveted cup.

Because Cathie Sabin is Shropshire's own – a former schoolteacher at Shifnal and a long-time resident of Much Wenlock – she is a style act. And we are very proud of her indeed. PS – and she still plays tennis.

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With no Wimbledon menu complete without a strawberry or two, the luscious berries are arriving, each one fresh – from Kent – and perfectly formed. However new Eastbourne star and former Wimbledon junior champion Belinda confesses: "I hear the strawberries and cream are good but I haven't tried them yet." Get in there quickly then, girl. About 28,000 kilos are eaten during the big tennis fortnight with about 8,615 punnets disposed of every day, each one with at least 10 berries. To complete the traditional summer experience, they are served with more than 7,000 litres of fresh cream.

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It costs a fiver (donated to charity) to store your camping kit. While everyone is keen to emphasise that security procedures will be at "an appropriately high level" and on-the-day sales queues will be searched or scanned, and all ticket holders searched – I can vouch that they do this very discreetly and with a good humour.

If you are going, enjoy.

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