Woodbridge: The magic of Centre Court

There is no other court that, as a player, builds drama and anticipation like Centre Court at Wimbledon.

As you walk towards the court it begins with the theatre of coming down the stairs, and waiting to go out onto court. You pass the trophies, and you feel the history of the tournament as you prepare to step out on the court.

Every great champion has walked down those stairs and waited under those doors.

The moment that you walk out of that door, the first thing you see is a green wall – the back of the court. You turn left, and as you get four or five steps away from turning onto the court you hear the crowd starting to build. One side of Centre Court will see you, then the other, and it develops into this amazing roar that goes all around the stadium.

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The best way I can describe it is like walking under a high power electric line and hearing the buzz running through them. That’s the energy that is drawn to you when you walk onto Centre Court.

Found this in #mums photo archive. The original entrance to Centre Court @Wimbledon #1989 pic.twitter.com/frnsGXZhSW

— Todd Woodbridge (@toddwoodbridge) September 28, 2015

As a player it can intimidate you, and you can find yourself totally overawed by the occasion.

But on a personal level it was something that I loved from the first opportunity that I had to go out there in my very first singles match at a major – against the then defending champion Pat Cash. I loved that stadium and I felt like I would play as good as I possibly could on that court.

The thing that also stands out about Centre Court is the acoustics. When you hit a shot, it sounds like you’ve hit it ‘pure’. The acoustics can make you feel like you’re playing well, even if you’re not.

I always personally felt as comfortable on Centre Court as I did on any court in the world.

One Centre Court moment stands out for me above all others: when Mark Woodforde and I won our first doubles title in 1993. I remember as a kid watching Wimbledon finals and seeing the winners jumping up and down, dropping to their knees and hugging each other. Well, when the match point finished – and that moment happened – we had a hug and then I sat down and thought ‘we’ve won Wimbledon’. But it didn’t feel like the tournament was over. I felt like there had to be more to winning it than that, and it’s not until you are retired that you really enjoy and appreciate those moments.