Wimbledon 2022

Today marks the start of the Wimbledon Championships.

The Championships, Wimbledon, commonly known simply as Wimbledon or The Championships, is the oldest tennis tournament  in the world.

I was very lucky to be invited to the finals of this tournament on at least five occasions. This was through a business relationship with the Canon Corporation who entertained their (special!!) customers at these prestigious sporting events.

My Aunt Nellie was a most enthusiastic tennis fan and on adored the Wimbledon fortnight, even taking holiday leave during her working life to watch the tennis on TV.

I used to buy her little souvenirs from the Wimbledon shop and when she died, I reclaimed this cup which I use on a near daily basis.

When Nellie died, I placed  the urn with her ashes on a chair in front of the TV for a final watch.

The photographs surrounding the cup are from the days when I watched the finals.

On the left, Jana Novotná  cried on the shoulders of the Duchess of Kent after surrendering a commanding lead to slump to defeat by Steffi Graf in the Wimbledon women's singles final of 1993.

On the right, an emotional Martina Navratilova bids farewell to the crowd after her final Wimbledon appearance, having lost the 1994 final to Conchita Martinez.