A tennis fan has demonstrated that joining the Wimbledon queue in the afternoon can still yield results, despite official recommendations to arrive between 5am and 7am. Christian, known as @running.papa on Instagram, turned up at Wimbledon Park at 1:47pm and secured entry after a 3-hour 10-minute wait.
Afternoon queue success story
Christian shared his experience in an Instagram reel, showing his Queue Card numbered 1489, marked as reserve. The grounds were full when he arrived, so he waited for people to leave. He spent the time resting, reading, napping, and people-watching before entering at 4:57pm.
Once inside, he watched Jovic vs. Maria on Court 15, catching the end of set 1. He then moved to Court 12 for Struff vs. Nakashima, watching four sets before darkness fell. He finished his day enjoying sunset on Henman Hill with strawberries and cream.
Cost and tips
Christian paid just £33 for his ticket and stayed about five hours. He advised others simply to "Go to Wimbledon Park and queue." The post garnered over 1,000 likes, with many expressing interest in trying the afternoon queue themselves.
However, not all queuers had positive experiences. One person queued from 6:30am and gave up at 1pm, calling it "quite ridiculous." Another arrived at 7am, queued 11.5 hours, entered at 6:30pm, but faced further queues for courts and strawberries.
Official guidance
The Wimbledon Queue allocates around 500 tickets daily for Centre Court, No.1 Court, and No.2 Court, usually requiring overnight camping. For unreserved seating on outer courts and Henman Hill, arriving between 5am and 7am is recommended. Attendees must download the official Wimbledon App and set up a myWIMBLEDON account beforehand.
Recent matches at Wimbledon include Naomi Osaka stunning world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, and Novak Djokovic breaking Roger Federer's record for most men's singles match wins with his 106th victory. On July 6, Great Britain's last singles player Arthur Fery faces Grigor Dimitrov on Centre Court.
