“I think it’s falling short in the player areas here: the player lounge, the food, the restaurant,” said the American Rajeev Ram, who was playing in Roehampton for the first time since 2014.

He did find a small silver lining. “On the good side, it’s a real treat if you do actually qualify, because it’s such a great upgrade,” he said. “On the bad side, in my opinion, a tournament that makes quite a lot of money, they could do a better job — even if it has to be a different site — to make it more up to the standard of Wimbledon.”

Marina Erakovic of New Zealand, who said she always loved playing on grass, tried to put a more positive spin on the challenge: “I always say that if you can make it through Roehampton, you can make it through anything.”

For the first time in its history, Wimbledon qualifying was a ticketed event, and action on one court was streamed online. Four rows of permanent seats were added for spectators, who otherwise must stand, sit on the ground or bring their own chairs.

The most significant improvements have been for the players’ paychecks. Prize money for qualifying players has more than doubled in the last five years. Players who lose in the first round of qualifying now receive 4,375 pounds (about $5,590), second-round losers make £8,750 (about $11,380) and final-round losers get £17,500 (almost $22,760).

Ram acknowledged that increase but said, “I think possibly the next step would be upgrading a facility like this to make it more on par.”