LONDON -- On Wednesday, Dan Poole and girlfriend Megan Symons looked remarkably fresh for two people who just had been through 48 hours of camping (without a shower) in a hot field surrounded by strangers.
"Half the thing [about Wimbledon] is just to come and queue," explained Poole.
Poole and Symons were just two of thousands vying for a prize usually achieved by royalty, celebrity or privilege -- a seat in the grand cathedral of tennis arenas, Centre Court at Wimbledon. For those in the Royal Box -- future Kings and Queens, former Wimbledon champions and even semi-mortals like David Beckham, Bradley Cooper -- it's a given.
For the rest of us without a reserved seat on Centre, No. 1 Court or No. 2 Court, it's off to the queue, which Americans would liken to a tailgate with Krzyzewskiville-esque tents. Except here you'll see Pimms Cup in place of beer cans, neat and tidy lines of people with one goal in mind.
"You can see it's a fairly orderly, well-behaved, organized queue," said Chief Honorary Steward Nick Pearce on Wednesday morning. "It's a very British thing, actually. We're very good at queuing.
"It's very unusual to buy a Centre Court ticket and a No. 1 Court ticket -- and that's really why we have so many people arriving so early in the morning, ready to stand in the queue."
Explained Pearce: "Certainly, it's an expensive thing for the All England Club to do it. "It's a longstanding traditional part of Wimbledon. As people arrive at the queue, they are given a queue card and a queue guide to give some idea of where they're standing in the queue -- and for the process that's about to happen."
On an average day at the queue, where people start congregating outside the gates of Wimbledon just down the street on the greens of the Wimbledon Golf Club, the number of cards distributed can go as low as 2,300 and as high as 4,000. Wimbledon's biggest match days, such as the celebrated second Monday of the event, when all 16 fourth-round matches are played, can push the queue's numbers to as many as 10,000 fans.
Alex Stubbs, of London, stood in the queue Wednesday after rising at 5 a.m., taking a one-hour tube ride and walking up the hill from nearby Southfields.
"When it works, it works really well," Stubbs said. "But I came on Friday. I queued for seven hours and didn't get in."
Stubbs' queue-card number and place in line when he tried again Wednesday was 2,689. It would eventually give him access only to the grounds, which includes the courts outside the main stadiums and Henman Hill, a reasonable alternative for many fans, like Chris King.
"I want to see [Andy] Murray, but I'll probably see it on the big screen," King explained. "Just to experience the atmosphere here is something I've wanted for such a long time."
Said Pearce, "With Andy Murray on court, the queue is that much bigger. Even those who don't get a Centre Court ticket today will head directly to the hill for the atmosphere up there."
Henman Hill, the broad slope that sits adjacent to No. 1 Court's big screen, is a favorite destination for those who queued and didn't get show-court tickets.
Hours before Murray stepped onto the court, a brief message was released to the grounds of Wimbledon in a crisp English accent: "Ladies and Gentlemen, we have an announcement. We will soon be opening up the gates. For your own safety, please do not run."
Poole and Symons, were among the lucky ones who didn't have to sprint for a spot on Henman Hill. That was because they held large, purple queue cards -- Nos. 87 and 88 -- which they happily exchanged for two tickets to Centre Court, Section 103, Row 5.
Forty-eight hours later, with just a thin chain between them and tennis' greatest venue, they had finally reached the end of the queue process -- at the front of the line.
"This morning, everyone was singing," said Poole, beaming. "It's like my very own golden ticket."