Every summer, the world tunes in to watch serves, sweat, and strawberries at Wimbledon. But beyond the highly anticipated matches and tennis stars, there’s a hidden workforce of young people making it all run smoothly.
For most people, being a spectator at Wimbledon is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see tennis stars in the flesh – but for some, that’s all in a day’s work! We spoke to 20-year-old Noorem Aleem, who landed not one, but two jobs behind the scenes at Wimbledon. Here’s what it’s like working side-by-side with tennis royalty.
What exactly did you do at Wimbledon?
I had two jobs! I was a players’ desk attendant and a load zone attendant. They are both in the Player Service department of Wimbledon, which basically is all about helping athletes and their teams with logistics like bookings, travel, or bags. I am there to help their day run smoothly.
Let’s start with the players’ desk. What’s that like?
Within Wimbledon, there are several locations you can be situated at: Wimbledon, Roehampton or Raynes Park. I was based at Raynes Park, which is an additional practice court. It’s one of the newer practice courts, a private one.
The players or their coaches would come up to us and say, “Can I book a car for five people with six bags to Roehampton in ten minutes?” It was my job to make that happen.
You can book the cars in advance, but most of the time they book five, ten minutes before they need to leave!
What about your job as a load zone attendant? What’s that like?
It’s based at the players’ entrance, which is the main access point for all the players, their teams and VIP guests. It’s a very private thing, not for the general public. My job was to be the first face they see. I greet them, take their bags, open car boots and doors, and tag their luggage to put into storage.
How did you even find out about this job?
A friend told me about it. Wimbledon is a popular job that a lot of uni students do, because it’s a zero-hour contract. It’s also nice to do it in the summer because everyone’s back from studying, it makes a nice change while making money!
What’s the pay like?
It pays well! Especially for a student.
What was the application process like to work at the Wimbledon Championships?
You apply through their website, it’s not through a third party. I did the application, and then luckily, I got an interview, which is quite difficult because a lot of people don’t get an interview! I came home from uni for a weekend just to go to the interview. And I got the job! Little did I know a few months later I would be meeting and greeting some of the biggest tennis stars in the world.
Do you think you underestimated the importance of your job?
Definitely. It’s a job you don’t think about unless you know someone doing it. It’s quite an important job, we manage all the logistics, the flow of people within this major tournament. We are in charge of some of the biggest athletes in the world, and getting them to their slots on time.
Has anyone ever been late to a big Wimbledon match?
Not that I know of. But, quite a few times actually, players have forgotten their tennis racket. They’ve had to urgently run off to the match, without it!
Oh no! What did you do?
Because it’s such a busy time of year, all the roads in Wimbledon are blocked off. Everything is closed, no one can drive around that area. But thankfully, Wimbledon is sponsored by Range Rover and Land Rover, so we can send those cars around the closed roads. If they forget something or they urgently need to get somewhere, we’re the ones that provide that service for them. No one else can do that.
Any surreal moments?
Yes! Andy Murray came up to my desk and asked “can I book a car?” I didn’t know it was him. The girl next to me told me that was Andy Murray. I was like, what? I know that he’s a big tennis player, but I didn’t know what he looked like!
What is your favourite part about the job?
The fact that I get to meet such big tennis players. I didn’t really know that many tennis players before, and now I’ve met so many great athletes. You see such big people on a daily basis. They’ll sit in the restaurant, and have their lunch. It is bizarre to see Andy Murray just chilling like five metres away from me! It’s so casual. You see them in such a casual manner.
Would you recommend this job to others?
Absolutely! Especially university students. A lot of people who work at Wimbledon are between the ages of 18 and 23. I’ve made some of my best friends at Wimbledon while working. Sharing the experience with great people is quite invaluable.
And what do you think you have learnt while working at Wimbledon?
The high responsibility of the job really does prepare you for the world of work. A lot is riding on you and your decisions. It has taught me how to be professional and I’ve gained so many new skills. It’s a very unique job, I don’t think there’s any job like it!
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