This Photo Campaign Captures the Beautiful Calm Before the Wimbledon Storm for Its 150th Anniversary

Behind-the-scenes photography captures the tournament's essence

The serenity of Wimbledon.

Lauren Randolph

July 3, 2018

Wimbledon, one of the most prestigious, posh and iconic sports tournaments, has positioned itself as one of the most heavily attended events where fans and celebrities from around the world gather to watch the iconic two-week tournament in London.

But what about the people behind the tournament? Supported by the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC), off-season is quiet and sparse for the most part, yet in the week leading up to the first match, the grandeur of Wimbledon is on full display and seen through the lens of the many tennis stars casually practicing or taking photos in the mostly empty grounds.

In a rare glimpse into the tournament’s history, Rebel Ventures, a sports digital strategy and tech venture firm, brought together photographers to let fans experience Wimbledon like never before in celebration of the tournament’s 150th year anniversary.

“We decided to show a different side of Wimbledon with this project, namely, the grounds right before the championships—beautiful, mostly empty and on the brink of the excitement of the tournament,” said Joe Puglisi, head of creative strategy for Rebel Ventures. “We chose photographers instead of traditional ‘influencers’ who had a unique style for space, light and portraits, to capture the beauty of the well-groomed grounds leading into the week, as well as a few faces of the people behind the scenes tending to the overall aesthetic and mechanics of Wimbledon.”

The pictures show the perfectly uniform grass, those classic green chairs, empty and waiting to be filled with hundreds of fans and the men and women who work to set the stage for one of the oldest sports tournaments. The photographers sought to capture the beauty, history and elegance of Wimbledon.

“Our hope and ambition are to ensure that Wimbledon is appreciated for its beauty as well as its athletes,” said Alexandra Willis, head of communications and digital at the AELTC. “And we are so proud to have been able to invite a group of influencers from the photography world to capture and celebrate Wimbledon as it is never seen: the quiet, the calm, the sense of anticipation that we are so privileged to witness but others rarely get to see.”