Legends come together to celebrate the centenary of Wimbledon’s historic Centre Court
Are you a tennis fan? If you answer yes to this, then you must be watching the ongoing Wimbledon and following the controversies surrounding it. So, you would also know that the revered Centre Court of Wimbledon recently celebrated its 100th anniversary. As many as 26 previous champions were part of this auspicious occasion. Let’s take a peek into what happened at the centenary celebration.
Stars Who Graced the Occasion
An array of former Wimbledon winners such as the American Billie Jean King, Swiss legend Roger Federer, Serb Novak Djokovic, and the elder of the two Williams sister Venus made special appearances at the fabled Centre Court’s centenary celebrations. They were greeted with a standing ovation by a packed crowd and the full Royal Box. The other big names who were part of the event were Swedish Bjorn Borg, Australian Rod Laver, and American Chris Evert. Additionally, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray were among the present-day competitors who graced the big celebration.
A singsong was also organised for the ceremony and it was led by none other than the distinguished British singer Cliff Richard. It was a beautiful recreation of his own performance at the Centre Court in the year 1996. Back then, he had performed for the spectators of a game that was postponed for long by rain. But the best part of the event was this: Thousands of free passes were offered to refugees from Ukraine, Syria and Afghanistan.
A Sneak Peek into the Centenary Celebration
Two veteran broadcasters Sue Barker and John McEnroe collaborated to host the grand ceremony of the Centre Court’s centenary celebration. The event began with them introducing the former players in order of the number of Wimbledon championships they have bagged over the years.
King, who has 20 Wimbledon titles to her name shared that as a 17-year-old newbie, her first match ever was at the Wimbledon. She also remembered her friend Martina Navratilova (nine-time Wimbledon Singles winner) who was unable to attend the auspicious ceremony due to COVID-19.
The Swiss icon Federer received the longest cheer as he entered the historic Centre Court where he had won the record consecutive eight Wimbledon men’s singles titles. He expressed how “awkward” it was for him to return to the Court without playing in Whites (Wimbledon dress code). The audience was enthralled when he added, “I hope I can come back one more time.”
Adding spice to the event, former arch rivals McEnroe and Bjorn Born, who were part of the historic 1980 Finals, warmly greeted each other with a never-seen-before hug.
Before taking on another opponent at the Centre Court later that day, Djokovic too joined his seniors. He has been quoted saying, “It is an absolute honour and privilege to be sharing the court with legends of the sport.” This reigning champion and also a favourite to win this year, also added how he was more nervous at the ceremony than he is playing.
The ceremony concluded with Lost Without You sung by musician Freya Ridings, making everyone nostalgic.