Championship Time at Wimbledon

Last week brought us a couple of tennis days at the hallowed grounds of Wimbledon.

We were entertaining guests on centre court for two days of quarter finals,

both women's and men's. The order of play was set,

and so was the roof over centre court due to the threat of rainy weather the first day we were there.

Our first match was a make-up between the Argentinian Juan Martin del Potro and the spunky Spaniard, David Ferrar, who came out on top.

Then the ladies' competition began, with Serena Williams

up against the six foot Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic.

Serena was unbelievably strong and it was thrilling

to cheer on such a passionate American competitor. Her spirit was contagious!

The second ladies match of the day saw Angelique Kerber edge out fellow German Sabine Lisicki in a close match.

The second day, the umpires were more optimistic and left the roof open which is preferred by most players,

however, at one point, it began to sprinkle, and the precision and speed of the team who covered the court was a fascinating show in itself.

The roof reopened after awhile, and I was struck looking out over the spectators at how brightly dressed everyone was. In a city where black and beige rule as the colors of choice when picking out clothing, it was refreshing to see so much color.

And speaking of fashion, how about this fashion parade of judges all decked out in their official Ralph Lauren attire?

The first match of the day saw Federer handily beat Mikhail Youzhny in three sets.

He was in excellent form which foreshadowed his magnificent performance later at the finals.

The big match of the day for the locals, however, was the meeting between Ferrer 

and Andy Murray, the home crowd's favorite.

Hopes for the homegrown boy to make the finals were flamed with Andy's win over Ferrer.

Enhancing our experience was our own suite where we enjoyed drinks, lunch,

and later tea. Of course, we had to add a US flag to the centerpiece on July 4th in honor of America's birthday.

Watching a lot of tennis can really make you hungry, and

we were not disappointed by the offerings. How about these Wimbledon colored macarons?

And no visit to Wimbledon would be complete without the traditional strawberries and cream.

Of course, part of the sport is checking out who is sitting in the Royal Box each day. We were not disappointed on the day of Andy Murray's match when Kate and William

the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

came out to cheer Britain's own Andy Murray.

There was also some tennis royalty visiting that day, as well. Steffi Graf and André Agassi. They sure added some class to the occasion.

As the sun began to set over the London skyline, we enjoyed a final look from our suite and reminded ourselves how fortunate we were to be a part of such a time-honored event.

Wimbledon--home of lawn tennis and the oldest tennis championship in the world.