Wimbledon’s greatest show on turf promises to bring back joy of summer

All England Club says there will be a ‘reassuringly familiar’ despite two years without a single ball struck, strawberry devoured or Pimm’s imbibed at SW19

“When people walk through those gates into this magical place, we want it to look and feel reassuringly familiar,” says Wimbledon’s chief executive, Sally Bolton, as she prepares to raise the curtain again on the greatest show on turf. “In our hearts we want to bring back the joy of summer – because that’s what our fans told us they missed last year.”

It is almost two years since the harmonic twang of ball on strings was last heard on Centre Court, when Novak Djokovic defeated Roger Federer in a seesawing five-hour epic worthy of Cecil B DeMille. But on Monday, Wimbledon returns – not only to fulfil its traditional role in the apex of the British sporting summer but as a symbolic staging post on the road back to normal life.

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