The above photo of center court appears on the home page of Wimbledon (arguably the "mecca" of the tennis world). I plan to attend the 2009 Championships. Originally, I had hoped to travel to both Wimbledon and the French Open in 2007, after having attended the 2007 Australian Open. Since I was on sabbatical in the spring of 2007, my plan was to travel to each of the four main tournaments (i.e., the U.S. Open is the final Grand Slam of the calendar year, an event that I have attended on more than one occasion). Unfortunately, it did not work out.
Today, I took the first step toward obtaining tix to Wimbledon by sending for an application for the 2009 public ballot. In order to send for the application, I had to enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope as well as an International Reply coupon (to cover postage). I had never heard of an International Reply coupon, but fortunately, there was a supervisor at the Post Office who knew what I needed and was able to help me purchase it. The cost was about $27.00 to send the form Express Mail, and it should be returned first class in 8-10 days. I hope I can send the application in time. The application form was available between 1st August, 2008-15 December, 2008. Since I am sending for it so close to the deadline when it must be submitted (31 December) it could be a tight turnaround. The form and information about it is available at the following link: http://www.wimbledon.org/en_GB/about/tickets/tickets.html
