Fred Bowen's "The Score" column,
June 20, 2008, Washington Post

At Wimbledon, Tradition Is in Play

The Wimbledon tennis championship, which starts in England next week, is the oldest major tennis tournament in the world. So lots of traditions have become part of Wimbledon since it began as a club championship about 130 years ago.

For example, the matches are played on grass. Almost all tennis tournaments these days are played on clay or a hard, synthetic surface. The players at Wimbledon are required to wear clothing that is almost entirely white instead of the colorful outfits often worn in other tournaments. And the fans snack on strawberries and cream.

But things are changing, even at Wimbledon. This year, the women players finally will earn the same prize money as the men. It's about time. Although the men play five-set matches and the women play three-set matches, there was no excuse for Wimbledon to pay the women less than the men. Some fans prefer the women's matches, with such stars as Maria Sharapova, Ana Ivanovic and the Williams sisters, to the men's.

In the old days, the male players had to bow and the female players had to curtsy to any member of the British royal family who sat in special box seats near the court. Now, players must bow or curtsy only if Queen Elizabeth or her son, Charles, the Prince of Wales, is at the match.

They are even building a retractable roof over the tennis stadium so matches can continue if it's raining. That's smart, because it rains a lot in England.

Who knows? With all these changes, maybe the men's champion will change. Roger Federer has won the singles championship for the past five years. But lately Federer seems to be slipping. Rafael Nadal whipped him easily on clay at the French Open. Federer is better on the fast grass surface, but now Nadal, with his strong ground strokes, bulging forearms and ability to get to every ball, may be the favorite.

Wimbledon officials have announced that one thing will not change this year: There will be no tennis on the middle Sunday during the two-week tournament. I think that tradition is a good reminder that everyone needs a break from sports sometimes.

I see kids who sign up for two or three teams every sports season and spend every weekend traveling with their teams to tournament after tournament. It's good for any young athlete to give his or her body a chance to rest and recharge. Sports are important, but it is also important to be with your family and friends and to develop interests outside of sports.

It's a tradition that's older than Wimbledon: a day of rest.

Fred Bowen writes KidsPost's sports opinion column and is an author of sports novels for kids.

© 2008 The Washington Post Company