NO GROUNDS FOR CONCERN!

With 40,000 hardness readings across 38 courts, 42,000 spectators a day, 2,000 extra staff and 17 weather apps, it takes a lot to prepare for Wimbledon. GEOFF MAYNARD goes behind the scenes at the world's most famous tennis tournament

- 

COME seven o’clock this morning, Michelle Dite will be in her usual spot — all alone in a seat behind the Royal Box on Wimbledon’s empty but gloriously tranquil Centre Court. A few hours later, Britain’s tennis jewel will be buzzing with the excitement of almost 15,000 fans and graced by some of the world’s best players.

For the All England Lawn Tennis Club’s operations director, this is the calm after a serious amount of preparation and before the storm of two weeks’ competition.

"I just sit there, take it all in and soak it up,” she says.

"I reflect a bit on quite how enormous this is and the effort and the energy and the passion that goes into it, and then it’s like, ‘Right, we are on’.”

And it certainly is now game-on for Michelle and her 60-strong year-round team (part of the 380 total Wimbledon staffing) who are responsible for everything from player and spectator security to the world-famous queue, the crowd at the hill and where you get your all-important cup of tea and strawberries and cream.

She then oversees the recruitment of a further 2,000 staff, such as courtesy car drivers, player services and medical teams, plus organising a range of third-party partners who recruit staff to deliver lashings of food and drink and take care of housekeeping and security.

"I am a bit of an architect of readiness in terms of making sure everyone comes together at the right time to allow us to be ready to welcome the players,” she explains.

“We can create the stage, but they are absolutely our performers in terms of what brings the joy to this place.”

As we speak on the eve of this year’s tournament, with Centre Court looking resplendent in the June sun, there is a quiet confidence that everything is very much on track.