To avoid any cries of ‘you cannot be serious’ from tennis fans, G4S, the official security services provider to The Championships, Wimbledon, has provided some hints and tips on how to pass through security with the minimum of fuss and minimise potential delays for spectators, including the world-famous ‘Queue’, in entering the grounds.

Many of the Tennis Top Tips - as recommended by some of the 800 plus G4S staff who work at The Championships each year – can be found on a YouTube video, ‘How to make the most of a day at The Championships’, specially prepared ahead of the two-week long Grand Slam tournament, which begins on Monday 25 June.

Among the ‘ace’ tips are:

• Read all the information which comes with match tickets well in advance – it tells you everything you need to know

• Make sure you bring the ticket for the right day – it’s surprising how many fans turn up on a different day to that marked on their tickets

• Don’t bring too large a bag – 16” x 12” x 12” (40cm x 30 x 30) – and no hard sided picnic hampers

• Don’t include any sharp items

• Large flags, banners or oversized hats won’t be permitted inside the grounds

• Only 1 x bottle of wine or 2 x 500ml cans of beer can be brought inside the grounds

• Heavily branded clothing or items, or clothing with political statements should not be brought along

• Beware of ambush marketing – some branded products offered to you as you make your way to the grounds may constitute ambush marketing and if so will not be allowed into the grounds

• Left Luggage - there are no left luggage facilities inside the Grounds, although there are plenty of Left luggage facilities at a number of locations outside. Camping equipment, oversize bags, picnic hampers and other prohibited items must be left in one of these facilities. A charge of £1 will be made for deposited items, apart from camping equipment, which will cost £5. All camping equipment proceeds are donated to charity

Eric Alexander, Managing Director of G4S Events, said:

“The Championships, Wimbledon are a major highlight on our sporting calendar. We have been providing security there for over 20 years and we are proud of our relationship with The All England Lawn Tennis Club.

“Although our first priority is the safety and security of tennis fans and players, we also want everyone to have a fantastic time and these simple tips should help everyone to enjoy their whole experience, from the Queue to Centre Court”.

G4S will be providing around 830 staff throughout the two-week run, all dressed in their distinctive navy uniforms with blue and red striped ties or scarves. Most staff – including hundreds of young people - are recruited at least six months earlier. Competition for jobs is strong and many of the staff return to work at The Championships year after year.