I’m not a tennis fan. I said it there. I’ll watch it if it’s on, but I don’t exactly reframe my day around a match or pretend to understand every rule. And yet here I am writing a tennis blog post as someone who wouldn’t exactly call herself a tennis fan. But there’s something about the Wimbledon season that changes everything, right?
It gets to the end of June and something changes in my brain. I’m suddenly very interested in tennis. The matches. The clothes. The atmosphere. The strawberries. Like, literally everything about it.
So, what is it about Wimbledon season that turns everyone, even the world’s least committed sports person (ie me!) into a tennis fan?
Let’s find out.
The Wimbledon phenomenon
The Wimbledon season is very much a part of British summer culture. Like barbecues, sunburns, Pimm’s, festivals and picnics, they are part of every good British summer.
We know we can’t rely on the weather. Who knows what he will do in these summer months. Rain, wind, hail or actual sunshine if we’re really lucky. But this does not disappoint us. Because if we’ve got Wimbledon on TV, a glass of Pimm’s in one hand and a burger in the other, we’re happy.
Even non-sports fans get involved when it’s Wimbledon. You might not understand the score, whose side you’re on, how to pronounce the players’ names, or what that young kid is doing running down the court between serves. But that doesn’t matter. Because Wimbledon is a great British tradition. A collective national obsession if you will. And so, for two weeks a year, we all become tennis fans.
We eat strawberries by the skip load (about 38.4 tons of them to be exact). We shop cute tennis clothes because hey, if we can’t play tennis very well, we can at least look the part. And if we can get away with it, we put it out of the office and let the kids eat their dinner in front of the TV.
This is the Wimbledon effect.
The Nostalgia Factor
Who else remembers tennis from PE lessons at school?
It was the fancy sport. The la-di-dah one. The one where you could choose to use the worn, wooden handles, school tennis rackets, or you could beg your parents to buy you a really cool graphite racket from the local sporting goods store.
Yes, I totally did. And my god, I felt the biz.
Picture the scene… 15 years old, in my navy tennis skirt and gym, white polo neck and tennis shoesholding a stunning yellow and purple tennis racket. I had all the gear, and absolutely zero idea.
But you couldn’t beat my excitement.
In my mind, I would be the next Steffi Graf. Surely looking this good meant I would be a natural tennis player. I mean, all you had to do was hit a ball into a net. How hard could it be?
Well… it turns out, I’m not the most coordinated person in the world. I’m also the type of person who doesn’t particularly enjoy a ball running towards her face, nor do I have natural racquet skills. Which is further evidenced as an adult by my beach cane and ball and ping pong performances, both of which leave a lot to be desired.
But that’s the thing about tennis. Even if you’re not very good at it, it still has that way of making you want to go. And every Wimbledon season, that little spark returns. A tiny glimmer, that maybe, just maybe, I could be a tennis player after all.
Why tennis?
So why tennis? What is it about tennis in particular that makes us so excited and invested in the sport?
For me, it’s a bunch of things. It’s the clothes, the lush vibrancy of the green fields, the atmosphere. It’s a vibe.
Tennis has always had a certain style to it. Even when I was in school, half the appeal was to look at the place. I honestly believed that the yellow and purple tennis racket would transform me into the next Wimbledon champion. Unfortunately, it turns out that a decent backhand requires more than a colorful racket and teenage confidence.
But that’s part of the magic. Tennis is not just a sport. It’s a feeling. It’s confidence. It’s energy. It’s about walking onto a pitch and convincing yourself you’ve got it, even when there’s every chance you’ll miss the ball completely.
And let’s be honest, Wimbledon season has a way of inspiring us to embrace that feeling. Suddenly we’re reaching for sportswear, thinking about a trip to the local stadiums and browsing things like tennis shorts because if we’re going to channel our inner tennis player, we might as well do it right.
The beauty of tennis fashion is that it combines comfort and performance with effortless style. Whether you’re playing a competitive match, knockabout with friends or just embracing the spirit of Wimbledon from the sidelines, the right kit can help you feel confident, comfortable and ready for action.
Game, Set and Match
Every year, the Wimbledon season follows exactly the same pattern. I will watch an incredible rally and suddenly I will be convinced that tennis is my sport. Not only that, but I’m pretty sure I’ve lost all those years and need to start weekly classes immediately.
For about 72 hours, I become that person.
I’m starting to wonder if there are any tennis courts near me. I briefly wonder if my old racket is still hiding somewhere in my parents’ loft. I browse tennis clothes online. I imagine myself gliding effortlessly across a court, returning serves with the grace and precision of a seasoned pro.
Then reality brings me back down to earth with a thump. Usually in the form of attempting some sort of sporting activity and being reminded that enthusiasm and skill are, unfortunately, two very different things. But that’s okay.
Because Wimbledon isn’t really about turning us all into professional tennis players. It is to inspire us. It’s about tradition, nostalgia, summer afternoons and believing, if only for a few weeks, that we could be a little more active, a little more confident and a little more adventurous.
And perhaps that is the real magic of the Wimbledon season. For two weeks every summer, he turns ordinary people into tennis fans. Even those who swore they weren’t interested in tennis in the first place.
*post in collaboration with adidas
Author biography
Becky Stafferton is a full-time content creator, web publisher and blog strategy coach. It is also his half Bex & Ben duo that helps small business owners take control of their websites and content Member OWN IT.
It constantly strives to promote a realistic, sustainable and positive image of how to live a healthy life. When she’s not writing, she can be found running through muddy puddles, talking in funny voices to her dogs, and renovating her house in the woods.
