Wimbledon: Far away from Centre Court

Week before its main draw, the tournament's qualifying matches are held 3-1/2 miles away

The brain has an amazing capacity for recognising faces. It can identify a face in a few thousandths of a second, form a first impression of its owner and retain the memory for decades. In the week before the start of Wimbledon’s main draw, the tournament’s qualifying matches are held three and a half miles away. But it might as well be a different world.

To preserve the lawns at the storied All England Club for the main fortnight of play, the qualifying rounds are relegated to the Bank of England Sports Ground in Roehampton. The qualifying rounds, held here since 1925, are played on grass but lack the amenities or timeless regality that sets Wimbledon apart.

“Definitely you don’t have a feeling that you’re playing Wimbledon,” said Aleksandra Krunic of Serbia, the top seed in women’s qualifying. “Other than it’s a grass tournament, there is really nothing in common with Wimbledon. It is what it is, and it takes three matches to get out of here and go to Wimbledon.”

There are some Wimbledon telltales — strict enforcement of the tournament’s all-white apparel rule left one player painting white nail polish over the red Nike swooshes on her shoes — but otherwise, it feels like an entirely separate tournament.

The tournament is difficult to reach by public transportation — nearly a mile from the nearest bus stop — and there is no signage directing fans to the site. In fact, every year during qualifying, many fans show up at Wimbledon’s main grounds, on the assumption that the qualifiers are held there. The feeling is entirely reasonable: At every other event on tour, qualifying and the main draw are played at the same site. Qualifying competitors, who can normally claim that they are playing at a Grand Slam event, sometimes hesitate when it comes to Roehampton.

“It’s not as glorious as being able to play on site, like the other slams,” Peter Polansky of Canada said. “Coming here with friends, you tell them, ‘Oh, I’m playing Wimbledon — well, Wimbledon qualies, and it’s actually at a different location.’ It’s not quite embarrassing, but it’s different.”

Marcus Willis, who came through the qualifiers last year, before losing to Roger Federer in the second round

Besides the lack of creature comforts, there are the standard trials of the grass-court season, which this year have included rain delays and unseasonably cold weather (chilly even for England, at around 60 degrees Fahrenheit). The rain and cold kept hundreds of players, coaches and their entourages indoors, which made the site’s newly expanded areas crowded.

“I think it’s falling short in the player areas here: the player lounge, the food, the restaurant,” said the American Rajeev Ram, who was playing in Roehampton for the first time since 2014.

Marina Erakovic of New Zealand, who said she always loved playing on grass, tried to put a more positive spin on the challenge: “I always say that if you can make it through Roehampton, you can make it through anything.”

For the first time in its history, Wimbledon qualifying was a ticketed event, and action on one court was streamed online. Four rows of permanent seats were added for spectators, who otherwise must stand, sit on the ground or bring their own chairs.

The most significant improvements have been for the players’ paychecks. Prize money for qualifying players has more than doubled in the last five years. Players who lose in the first round of qualifying now receive £4,375 (about $5,590), second-round losers make £8,750 (about $11,380) and final-round losers get £17,500 (almost $22,760). Ram acknowledged that increase but said, “I think possibly the next step would be upgrading a facility like this to make it more on par.”

Several players said they had hoped a star’s presence might have provide a catalyst for change: Maria Sharapova, still rebuilding her ranking after it was erased by a 15-month suspension, was set to compete here before a thigh injury forced her to miss the entire grass-court season.

“I would have to imagine she would have said something like, ‘I can’t believe you make these people, these qualifiers, play at a site like that,’” the American Tim Smyczek said of Sharapova. “I feel bad for being negative about it, but I’ve been over to the main site, and it just doesn’t really compare. It’s too bad she’s not here.” Smyczek, who has twice played in Wimbledon’s main draw, said he wanted to be diplomatic, but he made his disappointment clear. “Everybody here does a really good job — the volunteers and everyone are really good,” Smyczek said. “But Wimbledon itself, they do a really good job of making you feel like you’re not a part of the tournament.”

Wimbledon is a tournament with many clear “Upstairs, Downstairs” stratifications, perhaps most evident in its ticket policy for Centre Court. Debentures for Centre Court tickets are sold for a five-year period at £50,000 a seat. Those who can’t afford that can get tickets only by waiting in a queue, which for Centre Court seats normally requires sleeping outdoors overnight.

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© 2017 The New York Times