A WOMAN who lives by Wimbledon’s Centre Court has revealed she actually hates tennis – with neighbours complaining the noisy racket from the event makes their homes shake.
Louisa Blenkiron’s location would be the envy of many fans queuing for hours to get into the All-England Lawn Tennis Club this fortnight to cheer on the likes of Britain‘s Andy Murray and Katie Boulter.
Wimbledon resident Louisa Blenkiron can’t wait for the tennis to finish
Yet the 45-year-old artist living just roads away from the club grounds in south-west London is counting the days until the showpiece annual tournament is over.
She has no intention of moving, however – admitting two weeks every year can just about be coped with.
She feel frustrated by what the influx of visitors, road closures and raucous noise brought by Wimbledon’s annual tennis takeover. MyLondon reports.
She said: “It is absolutely awful – I hate it.”
Many residents in the area cash in on the tournament by renting out driveways or even homes to people flocking to watch the tennis.
Others sell strawberries and cream, lemonade and other refreshments from their front gardens as queues crawl past.
These include a thrifty mum living nearby who told of how her side hustle earned her £1,300 for two weeks’ work.
Yet Louisa insists these tactics only add to parking pressures, piled on more tournament-related road closures over recent years.
She said: “You can’t park anywhere because people are renting out their drives.
“To make space they park round the front and I think now you wouldn’t be able to find a space to park for about two miles.”
And she added: “Since Covid they have started closing the roads and it is just a nightmare for the residents who need to get about every day.
“I have to go to work and take my daughter to school and it just takes so long to get anywhere.”
And yet she insists she has no plans of letting force her away, saying: “I like it here and I like my house so I wouldn’t move.
“At the end of the day it is just a few weeks, but I just get so fed up – I can’t wait until it’s over.”
Another local, who did not want to be named, complained about work being done to the All-England Lawn Tennis Club’s pavilion in preparation for this year’s event.
She said: “It feels like construction has been going on for months.
“When the pavilion was being built it was so noisy and I swear I felt the house shake.”
However, other neighbours are excited to be so close to the action.
Events organiser Paul Bristow, 60, insisted: “I know some people complain but it’s not too bad for two weeks of the year.
“We love it – there is a great atmosphere and it really brings people together.”
Others enjoying living nearby include a couple whose home overlooking the club allows them to watch matches and neighbours who have managed to party with the stars.
Queues have stretched for as long as nine hours this week, with some people even giving up and going home after fearing they would not get into the grounds after all.
Ramped-up security checks have been blamed for the delays.
Organisers have been intent on preventing the kind of Just Stop Oil protests which took place at the 2nd Ashes cricket Test between England and Australia last week and at the World Snooker Championship in Sheffield in April.
Yet eco-protesters did manage to storm Court 18 this afternoon, hurling orange confetti and disruption the match between Sho Shimabukuro of Japan and Bulgaria‘s Grigor Dimitrov, an ex-boyfriend of former Wimbledon women’s champion Maria Sharapova.
Spectators have also been hit by downpours in the tournament’s first week, with rain delays continuing despite the Met Office forecasting clearer skies were on the way.
Today’s play has included British hope Jodie Burrage losing to Russia’s Daria Kasatkina on Centre Court, with defending men’s champion Novak Djokovic, from Serbia, is due on later against Australia‘s Jordan Thompson.
The Princess of Wales joked and chatted with eight-time Wimbledon men’s champion Roger Federer in Centre Court’s Royal Box on Tuesday.
Celebrities spotted in attendance today include ex-England football captain David Beckham, former BBC sport presenter Sue Barker and TV adventurer Bear Grylls.
Road closures surrounding the All-England Lawn Tennis Club have caused frustration
Fellow resident Paul Burstow is more of a fan of the annual fortnight-long event
Some savvy homeowners living in Wimbledon hire out parking spaces to fans
Lengthy hours-long queues continue to form across the surrounding area
