How to celebrate Wimbledon with Barchester

The Wimbledon Championships are a fantastic excuse to get sporty with your friends, family and local community.

Sport can bring people of all ages together, and with World Cup fever in full swing, tennis fans in London and around the world are practicing their backhand as the best in the game hit the court for Wimbledon.

Whether you’re following the games or use it as an excuse to break out the Pimms, Wimbledon is one of London’s biggest and most exciting sporting events. The oldest tennis tournament in the world, The Wimbledon Championships attract more than 500,000 spectators every year.

What is Wimbledon?

Wimbledon is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the others being the Australian Open, the French Open and the US Open. Since the Australian Open shifted to hardcourt in 1988, Wimbledon is the only major still played on grass, and takes place every year between June and July at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, which has been its home since 1877.

Who are the key players this year?

There are five main events throughout Wimbledon, including, Gentlemen's Singles, Ladies' Singles, Gentlemen's Doubles, Ladies’ Doubles and Mixed Doubles. Winners of the finals receive a trophy cup or dish as well as a lump sum prize. The top contenders for the Grand Slam prize includes previous winners Roger Federer from Switzerland and Rafael Nadal from Spain. For the Women’s, Serena Williams, Simona Halep and Petra Kvitova are the ones to watch.

When does Wimbledon start and finish?

Wimbledon 2018 runs from Monday July 2-Sunday July 15 2018, with the women’s final taking place on July 14 and the men’s final on July 15.

Where can I watch it?

As well as watching the games live courtside, there’s Murray Mound, an outdoor big-screened option that overlooks Wimbledon Park. 

If you can’t make it down to London for the games, many of our Barchester care homes throughout the UK will be celebrating with watching parties over strawberries and cream, and guests and visitors from the local community are always welcome to join in. Some homes inspired by the sport also host their own garden parties in the surroundings of the home, where residents and staff alike dress up in their tennis gear and play a variety of outside games. If you'd like to find out about how your nearest Barchester home is celebrating Wimbledon, click here.