It’s the event fans love, and the physios fear.
Yes, it’s the Invitation Doubles and Senior Invitation Doubles (for players aged 45 and over), a round-robin format of eight pairs guaranteed to conjure theatrics, laughter, snapshots of sublime skill, creaking joints and the occasional blast from the past in the form of a 136mph serve.
That particular rocket came from Mark Philippoussis last year, but this week Richard Krajicek has been firing down grass-blisterers in the high 120s. “They’ve still got it when they put the crutches down,” nods Martin Guntrip, Club Secretary at the All England Club, who oversees the invitation list. “But they do keep the physios busy.”
What are the criteria for receiving an invitation? Players have to be officially retired and to be memorable Wimbledon crowd-pleasers. There's an open invitation for all former singles’ champions to return “as long as they’re capable of moving”. Partnerships who win are guaranteed an invitation back to defend their title.
The Club likes to have a few British players in the mix – this year Jamie Delgado, a reserve, lucked in when Philippoussis pulled out with injury, and Jamie Baker has stepped in to replace the crocked Greg Rusedski.
No appearance fees are paid; it's just a grass-court stage, a captive audience and a small pot of prize money that's on offer. The winning pair receives £22,000 and a fourth-place finish nets £14,000. “It might be difficult to attract the very top players in the future,” says Guntrip. “It’ll be a question of whether they fancy it.”
The great appeal for fans is the chance to see familiar favourites, often legendary champions, playing on the Wimbledon grass in the relaxed, intimate setting of the outside courts. Players such as Jeremy Bates are notable for taking it seriously while others just want to have fun.
This year Guntrip and his assistant Susanna Cooper received a lot of requests from players to have Lindsay Davenport as their partner “because she is fun to play with”. It’s an opportunity for old friends to reunite and old players to win new fans. Some past players such as Vijay Amritraj arguably forged a stronger reputation with the Wimbledon faithful through Invitation Doubles than his bona fide SW19 career.
Most players are visibly excited to don the all-white again, though old rivalries die hard even in this light-hearted competitive forum. One year Boris Becker and compatriot Michael Stich were going to be paired, but one of the two smashed that idea out of court. Bjorn Borg and Tim Henman are among players who have politely declined, preferring to keep their Wimbledon memories sacrosanct.
Star attractions for 2015, however, include a host of Grand Slam champions in Tracy Austin, Martina Navratilova, Marion Bartoli, Jana Novotna and Lindsay Davenport in the ladies; Goran Ivanisevic, Jonas Bjorkman and Wayne Ferreira are among those dusting off their rackets in the men’s.
In the men’s senior event, the legendary combination of Mansour Bahrami and Henri Leconte return to take on all-star pairings such as the Woodies, aka Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde, Jacco Eltingh and Paul Haarhuis and defending champions, Guy Forget and Cedric Pioline.
Pam Shriver once said the experience was fantastic because she could show her children what their mother once did for a living. This year Jonas Bjorkman’s kids, sitting courtside, all held up signs in support of their father as he and partner Thomas Johansson took on Justin Gimelstob and Ross Hutchins.
You don’t have to look at the Order of Play to find these matches. You follow the animated sounds of an enraptured crowd and note the long queue waiting for seats to empty. The essence of the crowd response to Bahrami and Leconte’s panto-perfect skills should be bottled and sold as a year-round pick-me-up.
“It’s always sad when we have to say goodbye to players who have delighted crowds for years,” sighs Guntrip, thinking of Ilie Nastase, Stan Smith, Peter McNamara and Paul McNamee. But time marches on, and even the best retired players have to give the physios a break and re-retire.
