If Andy Murray becomes the Gentlemen’s Singles champion on Centre Court this year the images from the presentation ceremony will be beamed around the world.

Most will focus on the player and his trophy but on the periphery of those images expect to catch a glimpse of Will Brierley from Burnley.

Last August when Murray acknowledged the adulation with Olympic medals around his neck, Brierley could be seen on photos and a year earlier he was also there, just over Novak Djokovic’s left shoulder.

That’s just the way it is and the way he likes it to be. Brierley is usually on the fringes of the main action at Wimbledon but do not be deceived; his influence is significant.

He is senior groundsman for The Championships’ courts and one of the planet’s iconic sporting events is entirely dependent on the work of Brierley and the team, led by head groundsman Neil Stubley.

They tend only to be noticed when they line up at the presentations to form a guard of honour for the champion but without them the show simply can’t go on.

Wimbledon is the only grand slam tournament still played on grass after the U.S. and Australian Opens switched to less labour intensive hard courts in 1978 and 1987 respectively. So the quality of the playing surfaces is crucial to its ongoing success.

 

Your Local Guardian: The full grounds staff team

credit ©AELTC/Tom Lovelock

The groundstaff team (Brierley is furthest to the left) of 14 full timers, two mechanics and around 12 summer temps ensure the 41 grass courts (19 Championships, 22 practice), eight hard courts, two acrylic and five indoor are kept in pristine condition, both for the members of The All England Lawn Tennis Club and for the elite tennis talent that visits each June.

That the 27-year-old Brierley should hold such an important position at such a revered institution would have been difficult to predict ten years ago.

At that stage he was a teenager living at home in Burnley. He was a keen follower of Liverpool Football Club and Lancashire cricket but ambivalent about his future.

He dabbled in house removals but with little conviction. His mum issued a gentle ultimatum: go to college or start paying rent. Brierley opted for college, where his devotion to Liverpool encouraged him to take a two year course – a National Diploma in Sports Turf.

He liked the idea of working at Anfield.

He said: "I thought I’ll get on the groundstaff and watch the games for free.

"I thought I’d be set up for life."

But for his work experience at the end of his second year he was offered the opportunity to spend six months down south at Wimbledon. At that stage he had hardly watched tennis on television, let alone live, so he might as well have landed on an alien planet when he first set foot in London’s opulent SW19.

What were his first impressions when, wide-eyed and awestruck, he walked through the gates at Wimbledon?

He said: "I just thought this is massive. I was blown away with how smart the site looked and the immaculate courts.

"It was so impressive and a defining moment in my life. Fortunately he also impressed with his hard work and good cheer and was invited to fill a permanent vacancy a year later. Ambivalent no longer he’s now married, lives in the area – cycling six miles into work each day – and is quite open in his ambition to become Head Groundsman.

"Ever since that first morning I’ve always wanted to do well and progress. I love it here."

Of course he feels more at ease in his surroundings nowadays, which is not surprising as he spends as much time there as at home.

Certainly he is well qualified to convey both the real Wimbledon and the art of court management – and does so via a twitter account and blogs on the website. 

He lives and breathes this place, 24/7 and knows - quite literally - every blade of grass on its manicured lawns and every nook and cranny across the 42 acres. 

The essence of sporting venues can often be found behind the scenes, away from public access. Did you know, for instance, that there is an underground tunnel at Wimbledon that allows the dignitaries, officials and players to move around the packed grounds quickly during the tournament?

Brierley's own favourite ‘nook and cranny’ is his tiny, windowless base next to Court One. During The Championships, once play begins, Brierley is either courtside – often gazing skywards to assess approaching clouds for rain – or in there.

It is a homely room, filled with four large, well-worn and comfortable armchairs labelled after the groundsmen who inhabit them: Will himself, Richard, Karl and Ben.

There is a TV on the wall.  Primed, they can be up, out and on court within seconds.  It's a sanctuary warmed with the kinship and banter that Brierley values so much.

He said: "We have a close-knit group here. I don’t remember any serious animosity in seven years. It just seems that everybody gets on."

Today, though, his colleagues go about their duties outside in the sunshine as Brierley sits in the room and, firstly, explains why a straightforward Northern lad has become such a genuine convert to all things Wimbledon.

Certainly he disagrees with critics who label it too corporate, too establishment, too exclusive.

He said: "No, not all. I love the tradition here: the grass courts, players in tennis whites, the lack of advertising, the dark green and purple, the strawberries and cream, the Pimms. It’s just a very British sense of sport and people turn up expecting that.

"We need to keep that sense of Wimbledon because that’s part of why there is so much worldwide interest. This is still the slam that the players want to win.

"What I see is a genuine desire to put on the best for players, fans and media. Yes, the Club’s been going for over 125 years but it’s constantly evolving.

"We’ve now got a roof over the Centre Court, Hawk-Eye electronic line calling and innovative plans for the future.

"I suppose it compares with Lords for an Ashes test or Wembley for the FA Cup Final but, for me, because Wimbledon is spread over two weeks, with the excitement building up to the final weekend, it just has a little more to offer.

"That’s why even during the recession we’ve had record number of visitors and spectators."

That trend will certainly continue this summer as Andy Murray seeks to make history. And Brierley thinks the courts will be better than ever come Monday June 24 when the action starts.

The 2012 Olympics delayed the annual renovation by a few weeks last August but since then Brierley and the team have followed a time-tested ritual to prepare the best possible surfaces. Nothing is left to chance. It is precision engineering.

Brierley explains: "The courts were flooded on the evening of Olympic finals because they were so compacted by all the foot traffic and that makes it difficult to work with. We got a day off and then the renovation started.

"This is always the critical time of year for us. We took off the soil and grass and re-seeded. Then, six weeks later, we added top dressing and left the seed and grass to work its way in and settle.

"During the winter we kept ticking over. As temperatures dropped with frost and snow we didn’t cut much but used preventative sprays against disease, worms and bugs.

"Then once the frosts went we started cutting, spraying and adding fertilizer. From late March we really geared up.

"We lowered the grass height, scarified to take out thatch and weeds and gave the courts a roll.

"It’s funny. People think we are always rolling the courts like a cricket pitch but, in fact, they only get two rolls all year.

"Because of their clay base they are naturally quite firm and if they are too compact it impacts on the quality of the grass growth."

In the third weekend in May the grass courts were opened for members’ tournaments, though the Centre Court is only used during The Championships.

Thereafter the focus has been on fine tuning and maintenance: cutting (up to three times a week), fertilisation, watering and spraying for disease.

The aim, come day one of The Championships, is an 8mm stubble of grass and a consistent pace and bounce across all courts.

Nowadays 100 per cent perennial ryegrass is used on all courts (up until 2001 it used to be a 70:30 mix of Rye and Creeping Red Fescue) and this has improved the durability, strength and compaction of the turf and the soil below.

It means that the courts stay in good shape and also encourages the ball to bounce a bit higher.

Critically, this helps when trying to return serves and has encouraged longer rallies. So is all on track for Wimbledon 2013? Brierley thinks so.

The wet winter allayed fears of a hosepipe ban and he thinks that the normal dangers are also well covered.

He said: "Foxes can be a problem. There are foxes who live inside the grounds and if vixens urinate on the grass it kills the grass and the soil.

"But nowadays we have low-voltage electric fences installed on the four main courts to keep them out."

In addition every month – and every day during the tournament – a falconer brings Rufus the Harris hawk to deter the pigeons whose droppings contain high levels of grass-damaging ammonia. 24 hour security guards with dogs prevent intruders and even the potential for excessive rain doesn’t faze Brierley.

He said: "Up until three weeks before tournament we just let nature take its course. Then we start to cover the courts if need be."

Despite this confidence there will still be nerves. He said: "You’d have to be really cool not to feel nervous on the first day of The Championships. When you walk past all the hard-core tennis fans, some of whom have been queuing since the previous Wednesday.

"You’ve got the eyes of the world watching here. With the television audience and thousands of fans coming in there’s a lot of people reviewing your work."

Brierley says all feedback is respected but added: "To be honest I can’t remember the last criticism from players or the last significant bad bounce. In fact after the Olympics we got praise from all sectors: the media, experts within the turf industry, the players. They couldn’t believe that we had turned around chewed up courts in just 20 days."

Reassurance will come in the week before Wimbledon when the air will be heavy with the scent of cut grass and flowering fauna and the players arrive to fine tune their preparation.

Mainly they use the practice courts but are also assigned precious rehearsal time on The Championships’ courts, getting used to the environment.

So Brierley will be able to verify that the courts are playing as expected. In addition – and it’s a perk of the job that you sense Brierley enjoys – he gets a close-up insight into the players’ personalities when there are no crowds around.   

Your Local Guardian: Andy Murray

Picture courtesy of Will Brierley

He explains: "Some can be offish, but the top men players are all likeable. Andy Murray is one that will have a chat. When he started he was totally focused on his game but in the last two years he’s changed.

"I guess it helps that he’s enjoying his tennis and playing so well. After he won the Olympics he came out and had photos with the groundstaff which we all appreciated.

"And I can’t speak highly enough of Roger Federer. He’s salt of the earth. If the boys want photos and he needs to leave he’ll say I’ve got to go but I’ll be back at a certain time – and he always keeps his promise. "Rafa is also really approachable. Novak is a bit of a joker in practice. He likes to do little skits of the other players. Everyone warms to him."

Once the competition begins Brierley and the team are always on hand, cutting, watering and dealing with the inevitable wear, tear, scuffs and scrapes. The courts wear most on the baselines, where the ball boys and girls run, and where the linesmen plant their feet.

Occasionally, too, the players add to the workload. Brierley smiles: "Last year Bernard Tomic, the young Australian, took two chunks out of number two court with his racket after losing a point but we patched it up with wet soil – like a Polyfilla – of top soil and grass clippings."

Another key task during the fortnight is to mark the courts. This is a practised art. Although 21st century laser guided machines are now available the old fashioned transfer wheel marker is preferred.

Off duty, they are stored together in the sheds, like mini-formula one cars. They even carry the names of each ‘driver’ with Brierley’s displaying his twitter name - @wimbogroundsman.

String is used as guide and they walk along at snail’s pace, either to the left or right of the string. During the tournament each court is marked everyday. Brierley is responsible for No. 2 Court and Court 12 but defers Centre Court responsibilities to his colleague, young Ben.

Your Local Guardian: Brierly markings

Picture courtesy of Will Brierley

Brierley is in awe:"‘I mark out two courts in an hour but Ben takes much longer. He is incredibly slow but amazingly perfect. He gets some stick but those lines have to be spot on and he is the master!’ During the tournament itself the main challenge for Brierley is fatigue.

He said: "We start at 7.30am and leave about an hour after the last game, having watered and covered the courts. So, last year, when Andy Murray finished his match at two minutes past eleven it was hardly worth going home.

"You work hard and you don’t get much sleep and by the end of the two weeks you are so rundown, so tired. Luckily adrenalin gets you through and being part of the atmosphere, which goes up a notch in the second week."

Watching world class sporting action at close quarters always gives Brierley a buzz.

He said: "Yes, Tim Henman’s last ever match in the Davis Cup on No. 1 Court was incredible. Afterwards a couple of guys gave Henman the net as a souvenir. But Andy Murray winning the Olympics surpassed that. We were all sat courtside, and after the disappointment of losing the Wimbledon final, to take Federer apart in the way he did was just something else."

And what if Murray can emulate Fred Perry and add the Wimbledon title to his growing list of achievements?

He said: "Well, that would be even better. I’m not sure the roof will stay on if he does that."

Murray or not, watch out for Will Brierley in the background at the presentation ceremonies and spare a kindly thought for all the stage hands at this sporting theatre. Their work deserves to be applauded. Wimbledon in numbers 3,000 - gallons of water used during the fortnight.

500 – gallons of solution used each year to mark the courts 160 - court coverers on staff.

42 acres – Wimbledon’s size.

41 – grass courts.

31 – groundstaff during the tournament.

22-28 seconds - time it takes to cover one court.

8 mm - courts mowed every day a consistent height.

1 - ton of grass seed used each year.