Henman Hill Explained

Aorangi Terrace, commonly known as "Henman Hill", alongside a series of other nicknames,[1] is a mostly grassed banked area in the grounds of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club where, during the annual Wimbledon tennis championships, crowds of people without show court tickets can watch the tennis matches live on a giant television screen at the side of No. 1 Court.

During television broadcasts of matches, cameras often sweep over the area, and sports journalists frequently conduct vox pops and interviews with members of the crowd. The terrace is also the main site for spectators to eat picnics.[2]

Aorangi Terrace's nickname of Henman Hill emerged in the late 1990s when British supporters would congregate to watch the matches of Tim Henman at the site.[3] The hill is frequently given other alliterative nicknames relating to British players competing at Wimbledon (Rusedski Ridge, Murray Mound,' Heather Hill, Robson Green,[4] Konta Contour, Raducanu Rise,[5] Raducanu Ridge,[6] Norrie Knoll[7] etc.) but Henman Hill has remained the most commonly used phrase.[8] [9]

History

The terrace is named after Aorangi Park, the London New Zealand Rugby Club's grounds, which were on the site until 1981. Aorangi refers to the 'canonical' Māori description of Aoraki, the highest mountain in New Zealand, also known as Mount Cook. A new big screen was installed on the site following the construction of the new No. 1 Court in 1997.[10] This coincided with the popularity of British player Tim Henman, and the site soon gained the nickname "Henman Hill", becoming a focal point for so-called Henmania. There is a "Henmans Hill" in Clifton, Bristol, England and anecdotally a supporter attending Wimbledon at the time was from that area and gave the hill that name, it being very similar to "Henman". British tennis followers would fanatically support four-time Wimbledon semi-finalist Henman as he played often dramatic matches in his many attempts to win the title.[11]

Since Henman's retirement in 2007,[12] the area has been colloquially named after other British tennis players. Most frequently, the site has been associated with Andy Murray, with names such as Murray Mound,[13] Mount Murray,[14] Murray Mountain[15] and Murrayfield (in reference to the stadium in Edinburgh of the same name)[16] all used.

, the name "Henman Hill" is still used by the BBC and other media in reference to the area.[17] In 2009, Tim Henman stated on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross that he had agreed with Andy Murray it is still "Henman Hill". Henman joked that "[Murray] can have all those grand slams he's going to win but I'm keeping my hill."

Tennis pundits and tabloids have occasionally referred to the hill according to the names of a series of other British players who have participated at Wimbledon. During Greg Rusedski's matches, the area was sometimes called Rusedski Ridge;[18] Robson Ridge[19] or Robson Green[20] [21] have been used in reference to Laura Robson; plus Heather Hill[22] and Konta Kop[23] in reference to Heather Watson and Johanna Konta.

Most recently, the success of Emma Raducanu in the 2021 US Open led to speculation over the name Raducanu Ridge being used at Wimbledon 2022, in line with Rusedski Ridge and Robson Ridge. Other potential names for the site were suggested by the BBC, with Raducanu Rise[5] coming out as the public's favourite.

For the 2022 Wimbledon tournament, Henman Hill was re-created by the AELTC in New York City, from 8 to 10 July. Dubbed the "Hill in New York", it was set up in Brooklyn Bridge Park at Pier 6, which also offered panoramic views of Lower Manhattan. Tickets were available on a walk-in basis up to a limit of 1,000 people per day.[24] [25]

External links

51.4356°N -0.216°W

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Hill / Large Screen. 2021-06-17. Wimbledon. More formally known as Aorangi Terrace, the Hill is situated to the north of No.1 Court, and has become a popular area for Grounds Pass Ticket Holders to watch the action on the Show Courts. During the 1990s, it was widely known as 'Henman Hill', as British fans gathered to watch the British No.1 compete in four Wimbledon Semi-finals. It has since also been dubbed 'Murray Mound', reflecting the support for Andy Murray at Wimbledon..
  2. Web site: 19 June 2006. Wimbledon 2006 guide. Bbc.co.uk. 2 July 2008.
  3. News: Henman - Henmania hits Britain . . 22 September 2007 . 2 July 2008.
  4. Web site: Coates . Jon . 2013-06-30 . Laura gives Murray Mound a new name: Robson Green . 2023-04-01 . Express.co.uk . en.
  5. News: Emma Raducanu: What should we call the hill at Wimbledon? - CBBC Newsround. 10 August 2022. Bbc.co.uk.
  6. Web site: Raducanu Ridge? How Wimbledon's fans on the hill fell for a new star . The Guardian. 3 July 2021.
  7. Web site: Majendie . Matt . 2022-07-04 . Norrie calls on public to get behind him as last Brit at Wimbledon . 2023-04-19 . Evening Standard . en.
  8. Web site: McAlpine. Fraser. Why Wimbledon's Henman Hill Will Never Become Murray Mound. BBC America. 17 June 2015.
  9. News: Walker. Peter. Crowds gather on Wimbledon's Murray Mount – or is it still Henman Hill?. The Guardian. 17 June 2015.
  10. Book: Gorringe . Chris . Holding Court . 2009 . Random House . London . 978-0-09-952599-8.
  11. News: Alex . Perry . Happy on Henman hill . BBC Sport. 5 July 2002 . 2 July 2008.
  12. News: Caroline . Cheese . Happy Henman's fitting finale?. . 21 September 2007. 2 July 2008.
  13. News: Wimbledon 2010: Andy Murray is lone survivor in Britain's worst year ever . Caroline . Davies . . 22 June 2010 . But if the mania on the steep grass verge now informally called "Murray mound" was muted, it was not only down to nerves.... 24 June 2010 . London.
  14. News: Barbara . Ellen . We cuddle up to Nelson, but fight shy of ending discrimination. . 29 June 2008 . 2 July 2008 . London.
  15. News: Fans on Murray Mountain are older and wiser – but their hopes are high . Amol . Rajan . . 23 June 2009 . 24 June 2010 . London.
  16. News: Martyn McLaughlin . True Brit... it's game, set and match again as crowd howls for the underdog . . 27 June 2008 . 2 July 2008 . Edinburgh.
  17. Web site: Majendie. Matt. 2021-06-16. Henman Hill open to spectators at this year's Wimbledon. 2021-06-17. Evening Standard. en.
  18. News: Rusedski falters at crucial point to fall to Malisse . Steve . Tongue . . 3 July 2002 . So "Rusedski Ridge" is no more and will become "Henman Hill" again.... 24 June 2010 . London.
  19. News: Esther Addley . Laura Robson must wait for her chance to rename Murray's Mound. The Guardian . 1 July 2013. 5 July 2013 . London.
  20. Web site: Laura Robson is built to succeed. Express.co.uk . 24 June 2013 . 5 July 2013.
  21. News: Murray Mound replaces Robson Green at Wimbledon . https://web.archive.org/web/20090627160334/http://blogs.reuters.com/sport/2009/06/23/murray-mound-replaces-robson-green-at-wimbledon/ . 27 June 2009 . Tom . Pitcher . Left field: The Reuters global sports blog . Reuters . 23 June 2009 . 4 July 2013.
  22. Web site: Wimbledon 2012: day five as it happened . BBC Sport . 29 June 2012. 4 July 2013.
  23. Web site: Konta fans fume as Wimbledon switches big screen match to Murray . The Guardian. 10 July 2017.
  24. Web site: Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats… For three days only, Wimbledon's iconic fan destination, the Hill, is coming to New York City, Brooklyn Bridge Park, Pier 6. Wimbledon.com. 10 August 2022.
  25. Web site: Wimbledon's Henman Hill coming to Brooklyn waterfront . Tennis.com . 2022-08-03.

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