Cheat Codes
I talked to Eli 23.11 and he said what he learned from being at Wimbledon again is that there's a cheat code: the practice courts.
He saw some great matches on Court One (Sinner, Draper, Gauff, and Fritz), but everyone ignores the practice courts, and they were able to sit on benches and watch many of the greatest players in the world practice (Alcaraz, Djokovic, Sabalenka, Navarro, Auger-Aliassime, Monfils). They were so close they practically could have touched them.
He also said most of the players were locked in walking past the line of spectators to get to the practice courts, but Gaël Monfils was a clown in the absolute best way--cracking jokes, talking to people, taking pictures.
The Fritz-Perricard was suspended the day before Eli got there, so as a bonus, the fifth set was played on Court One. Perricard is the guy who hit a 153 MPH serve (a record). Eli said he was routinely serving in the 140s and that the ball sounded like a cannon coming off his racquet.
How much did a one-day pass and tickets to Court One cost him? About $110. The U.S. Open, in comparison, is over $400.
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