Wimbledon followers camp in a single day to bag one of the best tickets within the queue

Hundreds of Wimbledon fans have already flocked to SW19 and set up their tents to camp overnight in hopes of bagging the best tickets. 

The time-honoured tradition of queueing for tickets to the tennis tournament has already begun as ultra-dedicated tennis fans have been pictured making themselves comfy for the long wait.

The first matches of the tournament are not due to start until 11am on Monday morning, so fans in the already giant line have brought all the essentials for the wait.

Pictures taken before 9am today showed them sitting in camping chairs and enjoying picnics as they settled down in Wimbledon Park in southwest London.

Many of the fans will be hoping to catch British stars Emma Raducanu, 21, who faces off against Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova, and Scottish legend Andy Murray.

The seasoned two-time champion of Wimbledon, 37, hopes to be fit for what is likely to be his farewell at Wimbledon before he retires.

He is scheduled to play world No 38 Tomas Machac in the first round on Tuesday, and is also aiming to play in the doubles with his brother Jamie. 

One camper proudly flew a Union Flag from their tent as they settled in for the wait.

Other pictures showed campers remaining optimistic about the weather as they donned sunglasses and shorts in the morning. 

The queue should remain dry as the Met Office’s forecast only gives a 4 per cent chance of precipitation in the area today, with temperatures expected to reach 19C.

On Monday the chance of rain rises to 10 per cent, with similar temperatures predicted.

Tuesday and Wednesday will be more cloudy with scattered showers expected at the weekend. 

The tradition of queueing has previously garnered some mixed reactions on social media with some calling it an ‘archaic method’ which is only suited to those living in the UK. 

Wimbledon remains one of the very few major sporting events where you can buy premium tickets on the day of play.

Each day a large queue forms to buy either one of the limited Show Court tickets available, or a Grounds ticket. Tickets are sold on a best available, one per person queuing basis and are non-transferable, according to the Wimbledon website.

The queue often starts the evening before and increases very early in the morning. 

There will be 500 tickets for Centre Court (excluding last four days), No.1 Court, and No.2 Court will be sold for each day the courts are in play. 

But Wimbledon queuers have to obey a strict code of conduct while they wait.

Temporary absence from the queue for purchase of refreshments or toilet breaks etc should not exceed 30 minutes. 

Overnight queuers must only use tents which accommodate a maximum of two persons, and one person should be present at all times. Gazebos are banned. 

Smoking/vaping is strictly forbidden.

Any take-away food deliveries must arrive before 10pm and be arranged for collection at the Wimbledon Park Road gate only. 

Prior to the tournament Emma Raducanu said she enjoys the fun of the football, but was less happy about her own chances against opponent Ekaterina Alexandrova, who is seeded 22.

Raducanu said: ‘I’m expecting a difficult match.

‘I think it’s a match where I am actually the underdog because she is a lot older, a lot more experienced, and ranked a lot higher.’

Meanwhile, Andy Murray, was all smiles as he practised just one week after surgery on his back. 

But Murray sounded a downbeat note: ‘I need to be able to move properly, which I can’t yet, so let’s see in 48 hours or so. I don’t know.

‘Tough to know how it’s going to progress, really.’

Novak Djokovic, meanwhile, seemed much more bullish about his chances after his own surgery.

He had a meniscus tear, but previously said he would only play if he felt he could win the tournament.

Meanwhile Wimbledon has braced itself for a series of protests, with eco-zealots and pro-Palestinian activists set to target the tennis championships.

In the biggest operation ever to be mounted at SW19, more than 1,000 security guards aided by specialist police spotters in the crowd will seek to nip any trouble in the bud.

Hundreds of radicals from the Palestine Solidarity Campaign plan to disrupt the tournament, which starts tomorrow.

Just Stop Oil has said it is planning on targeting the tournament, after stopping play in two matches last year.

Britain’s No 1 Katie Boulter was left shocked when her match was paused while security removed a protester.

He had scattered thousands of pieces of jigsaw puzzles and orange-coloured confetti on court.

Now visitors are no longer able to buy jigsaw puzzles of Centre Court and the score board after they were withdrawn from sale from the All-England Club’s shops.

Meanwhile the tournament won praise recently after it refused to adopt gender-neutral ‘ball kids’ tag adopted by other Grand Slams, instead opting for the traditional ‘ball boys and ball girls’.