More from this Series

• Waiting for Wimbledon: the 100-year-old queue that defines Britishness, for better or worse

  Never have so many behaved so politely, braving torrential rain, sleep deprivation and a 10pm curfew on takeaway deliveries. Tales from a Very British Queue?.?.?.??

  
• The FT Globetrotter tennis quiz: how well do you know your Wimbledon?

  Love all, or game, set and match to you? Put your SW19 Grand Slam knowledge to the test

  
• SW19 calling: my annual pilgrimage to Wimbledon

  An obsession that began in childhood has led this writer to cross the globe year after year for the Championship fortnight

  
• Wimbledon spirit: five of the area’s best pubs

  Missed out on tickets? Catch a match from the comfort of these characterful nearby drinking holes that are all celebrating the tournament

  
• Tennis star Johanna Konta’s favourite places in London

  How the former British number one enjoys spending time in the UK capital

  
• Worth a shot: 10 intriguing new tennis gadgets

  Can vibrating trousers, CBD muscle sticks, eco balls and more help a gizmo sceptic up her game?

  
• String theory: the evolution of the tennis racket

  From 16th-century makeshift paddles to today’s masterpieces of aerodynamic design — via the controversial 1970s ‘spaghetti’ maverick — they’ve come a long way

  
• Serving for the scoop: tennis as a journalistic tool

  Hitting the courts proved a surprising source of stories for the FT Weekend editor throughout his time as a foreign correspondent

  
• Levelling up with three top London tennis coaches

  An enthusiastic club player seeks out professional help to smooth out the kinks in his game

  
• How to train for tennis — and recover

  Stay in the game longer with these tips from coaches and trainers from around the world

  
• The art of umpiring tennis

  The guardians of the rules occupy the loneliest seat in the house. So why is it such a sought-after job?

  
• The A to Z of tennis

  From Alcaraz to Zverev, stopping by ‘junk balls’, temper tantrums and the wind en route: a lexicographical take on the game

  
• Four of London’s most offbeat public tennis courts

  Pay and play in the shadow of a Brutalist icon, an 18th-century church or a flyover

  
• What to wear at Wimbledon

  Like tennis, there are rules. But there’s also scope for flair

  
• Wimbledon — the greatest sports competition on Earth

  The tennis championships offer much more than Pimm’s, strawberries and expensive towels

  
• Wimbledon’s head groundsman on how to create the perfect lawn

  Neil Stubley, the man responsible for the tennis tournament’s famous grass courts, offers his golden rules