Sawt Falasteen - The queue: the long wait that's part of Wimbledon

As London woke up on Friday, thousands of people had already cheerfully bagged their place in "the queue", ready to wait without complaint for hours for a prime courtside spot.

Those in a rush are best advised to stay away, but Linda Truin, 70, and her friend Sharon Davison, 72, are clearly not in this category.

The retired secretaries arrived at 9:00 am (0800 GMT) on Thursday to try to secure two of the much sought-after places for Centre Court.

It is Linda's 26th time in the queue, but "only" the 20th for Sharon, the two friends joke.

"It's really lovely. You meet new friends. We have champagne in our cool box," Sharon told AFP as she breakfasted outside her small tent.

The tennis enthusiast had made a special trip from southwest France where she lives.

Arrangements for the queue get better each year, said Linda, adding: "The British love to queue."

But the queue, which stretches over a large grassed area not far from the manicured tennis courts of the All England Club is far from improvised.

- Rules is rules -

Like everything at the tournament there are strict rules to follow and respect.

Woe betide anyone attempting to jump the line -- the ultimate British faux pas -- as the reaction of other queuers is likely to be fierce.

"Queue cards" are distributed to every ticket hopeful on arrival and a team of stewards "who will arbitrate in any dispute" are on hand around the clock, according to a special code of conduct on the Wimbledon website.

Lavatories and places to buy food and refill water bottles are all laid on for queuers along with free wifi.

Barbecues, gazebos, smoking and loud music are not permitted.

The tennis fans sleep overnight in their tents. Stewards wake them at 6:00 am and they pack away their things and begin to form an orderly line.

The stewards hand out wristbands which allow queuers to purchase a ticket with the number exactly matching the number of available tickets for Centre Court and No.1 and No.2 courts.

The queue is a way to get access to the tournament even though the vast majority of tickets are allocated via a ballot earlier in the year.

On Friday at 10:00 am more than 13,000 were waiting.

For those not at the front who miss out on tickets for the big courts there is always the possibility of a "Grounds ticket", giving the holder entry to other courts.

"It's unique, It's so non-American," said John Worthington, 52, visiting from the US city of Atlanta.

- Pimm's o'clock -

As the sun shone on Friday, many people came with friends or family and children played on the grass, creating a holiday-like feel, even though the wait is longer for added security checks.

On Wednesday, Just Stop Oil climate protesters stormed one of the Wimbledon courts, sprinkling orange confetti and jigsaw pieces on the grass.

One group of friends in their 30s sipped early morning glasses of Pimm's, an English gin-based drink synonymous with lazy summer afternoons.

Even members of the British royal family are fans of "the queue".

The Princess of Wales, whose husband is heir to the throne Prince William, confided this week that she was a regular as a youngster when she was still plain Kate Middleton.

"We would be up there at the crack of dawn, maybe not overnight but at the crack of dawn," the keen tennis fan told other fans, recalling trips with her father and sister.

X.Habash--SF-PST