Sport Sports
W hile the world is gripped by football fever, South West London is experi- encing an entire- ly different and more aristocratic kind of sporting excitement. Until 12 th Ju- ly, Wimbledon – the planet’s oldest and most prestigious tennis tournament – provides the perfect blend of top sport and strict traditions that successful- ly defy modern times. As we watch the magic unfold on its green carpets, here are some fascinating details that render this tournament unique. GREEN GEOMETRY The surface of Centre Court isn’t or- dinary grass, but rather English dwarf ryegrass, which is cut to an exact height of eight millimetres during the first two weeks of July. A specialist team of biol- ogists and technicians ensure this per- fect height is maintained, while guaran- teeing the bounce of the balls is flawless by calibrating soil density and moisture year-round. TONS OF STRAWBERRIES & RIVERS OF CREAM A tradition dating back more than a century dictates that matches are ac- companied by an authentic delicacy. Over the course of the tournament, visitors will eat an incredible 38 tons of fresh strawberries, flown in every morning from Kent, and all topped with more than 7,000 litres of fresh cream. RUFUS, RULER OF THE SKIES The All England Club’s most impor- tant worker has no racquet, but rath- er wings. Rufus the Hawk is Wimble- don’s official guardian. Each morning, before the matches start, Rufus patrols the skies above the courts to disperse pigeons and other birds that might dis- turb the players’ concentration. WHITE DRESS CODE The all-white rule was introduced back in the 19th century in order to hide sweat stains, which were consid- ered improper.
VREME JE ZA TENIS U LONDONU IT’S TIME FOR TENNIS IN LONDON Jagode iz Kenta i trava od osam milimetara Kent Strawberries and 8-millimetre-long grass D ok fudbalska groznica tre- se svet, u jugozapadnom Londonu vlada potpuno drugačija, aristokratska vrsta sportskog uzbuđe- Vimbldon ponovo dokazuje zašto je najekstravagantniji turnir na svetu / Wimbledon once again shows why it’s the world’s most extravagant tournament
TONE JAGODA I REKE ŠLAGA Tradicija duga više od veka nalaže da se mečevi prate uz autentičnu posla- sticu. Tokom turnira posetioci pojedu neverovatnih 38 tona svežih jagoda, ko- je se svako jutro dopremaju iz grofovije Kent, a sve su prelivene sa više od 7.000 litara sveže pavlake. RUFUS, VLADAR NEBA Najvažniji radnik kluba nema reket, već krila. Jastreb Rufus je zvanični ču- var Vimbldona. Svakog jutra pre počet- ka mečeva Rufus leti iznad terena kako bi rasterao golubove i druge ptice koje bi mogle da ometaju koncentraciju igrača. ZAKON BELOG DRESA Pravilo o isključivo beloj opremi uvedeno je još u 19. veku kako bi se sa- krile fleke od znoja, koje su se smatrale nepristojnim.
nja. Vimbldon, najstariji i najprestižni- ji teniski turnir na planeti, sve do 12. ju- la donosi savršen spoj vrhunskog sporta i strogih tradicija koje uspešno prkose modernom vremenu. Dok gledamo ma- giju na zelenom tepihu, evo nekoliko de- talja koji ovaj turnir čine jedinstvenim. ZELENA GEOMETRIJA Podloga na Centralnom terenu ni- je obična trava, već engleski ljulj, koji se tokom dve nedelje jula šiša na striktno osam milimetara visine. O ovoj savrše- noj visini, gustini i vlažnosti tla tokom čitave godine brine poseban tim biolo- ga i tehničara kako bi odskok loptice bio besprekoran.
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