LONDON (AP) — When Jannik Sinner and Ben Shelton — who were scheduled to meet in the quarterfinals Wednesday — walk toward the wood-and-glass doors leading to the grass at Wimbledon’s second-biggest stadium, known as No. 1 Court, they and other players pass through a hallway renovated this year to display memorabilia and photos from the arena’s history.
“We were really keen to create a more inspiring place for players and create a sense of occasion,” said Malin Lundin, the All England Club’s collections manager. “We wanted to highlight main events from the history of this court and what sets it apart from Centre Court, as well.”
So if Emma Raducanu looked to her left before her first-round match last week, she would have seen the white dress she wore there in 2021 while becoming, at 18, the youngest British woman to reach the round of 16 at the grass-court tournament in the Open era.
The same glass case with Raducanu’s match-worn outfit also holds what Coco Gauff had on in 2019 when, in her Grand Slam debut at age 15, she upset five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams on the way to the fourth round.
There are also autographed items from retired British stars Andy Murray, a two-time champion at the All England Club whose second career match at a major was held at No. 1 Court, and Tim Henman, a four-time Wimbledon semifinalist who played his last match at the home of grass-court tennis as a member of Britain’s Davis Cup team in 2007. Murray’s T-shirt and shorts are there, alongside Henman’s collared shirt, shorts, sneakers and racket.
Quotations from six-time Wimbledon singles champion Billie Jean King and wheelchair tennis star Alfie Hewett adorn the walls painted a deep green. Lighted signs show various key moments that took place at either the current No. 1 Court, which opened in 1997, or its predecessor — including John McEnroe’s “You cannot be serious!” line in 1981.
It all looks great in person. On TV broadcasts, too, which was one of the goals, Lundin said.
Here’s the thing, though: The athletes heading to compete on the Grand Slam stage are so locked in on the business of the day that taking in the sights is not necessarily a high priority while carrying their racket bags on the journey from the underground tunnel that takes them from the locker rooms at Centre to No. 1.
Taylor Fritz, who has played four of his five matches there en route to the semifinals, said Tuesday he hasn’t really noticed the changes. He remembers, instead, a photo of fellow American Reilly Opelka from when he won the Wimbledon junior title in 2015, beating Fritz along the way.
“Outside of that, no, I haven’t been paying attention too much,” Fritz said.
Two others in action at No. 1 Court this fortnight, Argentina’s Solana Sierra and Canada’s Gabriel Diallo, said they didn’t look around because they were too focused on the upcoming match.
But Greece’s Maria Sakkari, a two-time Grand Slam semifinalist, did check the items out when she played in that arena during this year’s tournament.
“I saw Coco’s outfit and a couple more,” Sakkari said. “That’s cool.”
Noting that Wimbledon asks some players to donate memorabilia — a practice Lundin said started about 20 years ago — Sakkari had a thought.
“My current outfit is worth having in a museum. Maybe not mine, but from another player,” she said. “It’s worth giving them.”
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