1) Wimbledon has a maze of underground tunnels

While spectators are out watching tennis, eating strawberries and drinking Pimm’s, workers – more than 1,800 of them – pass through underground tunnels that connect every corner of the site. In operation since 1997, these tunnels are the veins of Wimbledon, circulating the lifeblood of the Championships. This means workers don’t have to fight through the crowds of excited people to get from A to B. There are two main tunnels: the royal route runs from Centre Court to No 1 Court, alongside a buggy drive. There are many subterranean rooms connected by these tunnels, from drug-testing rooms to standard dressing areas. It isn’t only staff who use the tunnels, the players do too, and Rafael Nadal suffered a comical bang to the head when jumping on the spot in the bowels of No 1 Court before a match in 2017.

2) The 30-page rule book for umpires

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Officiating the Championships, follows a strict and regimented training process. The umpires follow a similar regimented process, and adhere to strict tradition via applying a 30-page officials’ manual which orchestrates their role in a robotic manner, with every last action scrutinised. The line judges must walk on to the court in a prescribed manner, and check the net height at the start of each set, not just each match. They cannot roll up their sleeves, or drink water except when the players are changing ends. The umpire must uphold the dress codes, to ensure players are not wearing any coloured clothing, even if it is a headband or shoelaces. Their performances are assessed by independent evaluators – the best are given the ultimate honour of officiating the finals.

3) The underground ball bunker

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Around two lorry-loads (more than 50,000) balls arrive in total from Slazenger, suppliers to Wimbledon since 1902. They are then stored in two rooms beneath Centre Court at a constant temperature of 20C. Before play each day, 20 tins of balls are delivered to each court. Six new balls are introduced every nine games – and after the first seven games – and the stock is replenished each match. In a control room, the ball handlers monitor the matches from a computer screen, watching out for ones that might require extra balls. During John Isner and Nicolas Mahut’s 11-hour, 183-game thriller in 2010, more than 40 cans of balls were used. Used balls are sold on to fans and if they aren’t up to standard, may be given to other organisations. People do try to take balls home as memorabilia, with Wimbledon turning a blind eye to this, so if you’re lucky enough to catch a ball, don’t be shy …

4) First on Centre Court

For 50 weeks a year it remains out of bounds for players, and experiences only the tender care of the groundstaff team. But with the grass perfected over the course of four seasons, the first players to experience a match on it this year will not be defending men’s champion Novak Djokovic and his opponent Philip Kohlschreiber but a select group of AELTC members. Every year, on the Saturday before the tournament, a group of female players (lighter than their male counterparts and less likely to inadvertently cause any damage to the court) step out to test that the grass is pinpoint perfect before the players take centre stage on Monday.

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5) ‘The List’

Wimbledon always looks for ways to improve. While major decisions such as the renovation of No 1 Court ahead of this year’s Championships will get mass media attention, little decisions follow a similar democratic process. The All England Club maintains what it calls “The List” – an exhaustive and comprehensive tally of everything staff members suggest they can do better. With over 1,000 things added to the list in a process that starts immediately after the tournament has finished, you may think some of the items get hastily ignored. This is not the case, as every item on the list gets discussed and addressed before the next Championships. Improvements can range from huge renovations that take years, or trivial matters such as a squeaky chair on a certain court, or a signage post needing a new paint job.