The China Mail - Queueing, strawberries and all white: it must be Wimbledon

- The queue -

Spectators hoping to attend the famous grass-court tournament can enter a ballot for a ticket, but few are successful. That leaves the option of trying your luck in a very long queue.

By 8:30 am (0730 GMT) on Monday, approximately 10,000 people were already standing in line.

Among them was 61-year-old American Boo Benson, who joined the queue in the dark at 3:45 am.

"It was fun in the queue. We met lots of people. We shared blankets," the 61-year-old retiree from Kentucky told AFP.

Benson paid £33 ($44) for a ticket that grants her access to several courts throughout the day, although not the most prestigious ones.

"The queue has become increasingly popular," in recent years, with people arriving "earlier and earlier", according to the tournament's chief executive, Sally Bolton.

"We are absolutely committed to what the queue stands for, which is accessibility," she told a press conference.

- The exclusive option -

In contrast to the queue -- which is open to everyone -- is a premium, multi-year pass referred to as the "debenture".

It guarantees a prime seat at Centre Court or Number 1 Court and access to exclusive bars and restaurants at the tournament for five years.

The lowest-priced debentures on Centre Court for 2026 to 2030 were most recently trading at £116,000, to be paid in three instalments.

Organisers say the money raised from issuing the debentures funds upgrades across the site "for the benefit of all our Wimbledon guests".

- In white -

Wimbledon has the strictest dress code in professional tennis.

Competitors must be dressed in white, "from the moment" they step onto the court, the code states, adding this does not include off-white or cream.

When the rule was written in the 1880s, elites considered sweat stains were unseemly and would be less visible against white clothing.

Shoelaces, socks, and wristbands must also be white. The only exception is for women's undershorts, provided they are no longer than their shorts or skirt.

Japanese player Naomi Osaka, kept up her tradition at Grand Slam events by walking on to court for her first rounds singles match wearing an elaborate kimono-inspired dress.

"We're very relaxed so long as it meets the all-white dress code," Bolton said earlier this week.

- Strawberries and Pimm's -

Strawberries and cream have been a Wimbledon tradition since the tournament's very beginnings in the 19th century, when the fruit was a seasonal delicacy available for only a few weeks in June and July.

Topics of conversation at Wimbledon include the taste (are they sweeter than last year?) and the price of a serving, which is set at £2.70 this year.

Pimm's -- a gin-based cocktail topped up with lemonade, and garnished with fruit and mint -- is another Wimbledon staple.

"This is absolutely a cliche," Paola Biti, a German woman living in London and attending Wimbledon for the first time, joked as she held strawberries and a Pimm's.

"The only thing we are missing is a hat."

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