Tennis fans were given a shock on Monday morning after being told to stay away from Wimbledon as it is already ‘at capacity’.
Earl’s Court tube station in west London, a popular changeover point en route to Wimbledon, was packed with tennis fans who had flown in from all over the world.
And the Met Office suggested today was ‘the warmest start to Wimbledon on record’.
But an announcement over the PA system quickly put a dampener on the excitement after it was revealed the grounds were already ‘at capacity’ before 9am.
The All England Club queue is incredibly popular in the opening week and fans had been in it since the early hours of the day, to make it into the grounds for Day One.
Those who had opted for a slightly later lie-in faced disappointment when they were told that non-ticket holders risked not getting in.
There were also warnings that travellers faced at best ‘several hours’ waiting in the queue with temperatures soaring for the rest of the day.
An update from Wimbledon’s official website on Monday read: ‘Please be aware that the Queue for Day 1 – Monday 30th June – is very busy and to avoid disappointment we strongly advise you not to travel to the Grounds today.
‘Please note there is hot weather forecast for Monday and Tuesday. In both The Queue and the Grounds there may be periods where shade is not available.
‘Please plan appropriately, including bringing water, suncream and a hat. Water refill points are available in the Queue and around the Grounds.’
The queue offers fans the chance to buy limited Show Court tickets or a Grounds ticket, which are sold on a best available, one-per-person queuing basis.
A total of 500 tickets for Centre Court – excluding the last four days – No.1 Court, and No.2 Court are available for the days that they are in play.
Ahead of the tournament, organisers warned fans to check the status of the Queue before travelling.
The tournament has a maximum grounds capacity of 42,000 spectators.
One fan in the queue claimed more than 9,000 people were in the line for day one just after 7am this morning.
Fans in the queue could be faced with predicted temperatures of 34 degrees as they aim to enter the grounds for the first day of play.
A record was expected to be smashed for the hottest start to the tournament, with the previous highest of 29.3C being recorded back in 2001.
The queue starts in Wimbledon Park and fans were allowed to begin lining up on Sunday at 2pm, 20 hours before the grounds officially opened for the opening day.
Wimbledon has a dedicated Queue Village, an area where fans can have refreshments, take part in partner activations and watch the tennis on a big screen as they await entry.
Those at the front of the queue are invited to the village when the grounds have reached capacity, while waiting for tickets to become available.
Screen messages are displayed inviting guests to buy tickets from the ticket sales kiosk when there is room in the grounds.
Among those queuing today were Britons Brad and Ben, who befriended a US group next to them while shading themselves with Union Jack umbrellas.
Ben travelled down from Northampton and Brad, a Wimbledon first-time, came over from south-east London.
Cohen, Kiah and Bart travelled from Milwaukee in the US and have been travelling around Europe for the past fortnight.
Bert decided to add Wimbledon as a last minute pitstop after starting in Switzerland and travelling through France to Britain – having last come to Wimbledon five years ago but wanting to return ever since.
He described how he took another two days off work with permission from his boss to come to Wimbledon, adding: ‘It was her idea.
‘I told her about the trip and I said, “If i was to stay two days longer to go to Wimbledon…” and she said, “Then you go to Wimbledon!”
Meanwhile, Gabriel Paul and Harry Robson – two university students from London studying advertising – held placards protesting against the loss of line judges and their AI replacements from this summer’s Wimbledon onwards.
They received a positive reception when walking around the park and up and down the queue.
Harry said: ‘Line judges were a big part of the game, especially here at the oldest grand slam.
‘It’s a shame we got rid of them – weplacing them with technology is part of a wider problem in society, replacing people’s jobs with AI.’
Gabriel said: ‘It takes away the tension of challenges in a game over if something was in or out.’
The temperature could lead to Wimbledon applying a heat rule for matches during the day.
The heat rule will allow players to have a 10-minute break when the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature is at or above 30.1 degrees Celsius.
The heat index is a measure, which factors together the air temperature, the humidity and the surface temperature and is measured by a heat stress monitor. Readings are taken 30 minutes prior to the start of play and then at 14.00 and 17.00.
Only one of the players participating in the match needs to request the break for the rule to be implemented.
Wimbledon state that the rule will apply after the second set for all best of three set matches, and after the third for all best of five set matches.
‘Players may leave the court during the break, but they may not receive coaching or medical treatment.
The heat rule will not apply to matches played under the roofs.
There have been health warnings issued by experts amid the rising temperatures.
Dr Leslie Mabon, senior lecturer in environmental systems at the Open University, said today: ‘The extreme high temperatures we are seeing in the UK are being exacerbated by the same phenomenon that is causing the heat dome across Europe.
‘The “heat dome” happens when an area of high pressure air stays over the same area for days or weeks, trapping hot air below it which then expands outwards like a dome.
‘In the UK, heat-related illnesses, greater risk for this with pre-existing conditions, and wildfires can all come about because of heatwaves.
‘This is another reminder that climate change makes extremes like this more frequent or intense.’
Dr Chloe Brimicombe, climate scientist at the Royal Meteorological Society, said: ‘Heatwaves and hot spells in the summer are increasing in duration, how often they occur and intensity, how hot temperatures get to.
‘We also think they are growing in area so more people are exposed every time they occur.
“Beyond heat killing people, they cause a rise in hospitalisations especially in the vulnerable groups.’
