FOR Wimbledon residents, having the tennis on their doorstep each summer is the highlight of the year.
But for Ali Love and her family, it is a lot closer to home than that.
The mum-of-six – a regular at the Championships to watch the tennis – saw the tennis come to her for 15 years.
Like many of their neighbours, including their friends who rented their house to Roger Federer, the Loves hosted top tennis players needing somewhere to live during the fortnight in SW19, especially with hotels in the area limited.
And that included former world No6 Carla Suarez Navarro, who became part of the family as a regular bed and breakfast guest for nearly a decade.
Ali told SunSport: “It was brilliant, really good fun, it’s great for everyone.
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“We had Chinese teams, Americans, Canadians. We would host the player, their coach, their physio and the Chinese brought an acupuncturist.
“For nine years we had Carla Suarez Navarro.
“She was like family in the end.
“We would have Rafael Nadal turn up at the door to speak to Carla, the Spanish players were all friends.
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“They are just normal people, they can walk around the village and nobody bothers them, people are really respectful.
“When Carla retired, we sort of retired from hosting with all the children are back from uni. It’s a community thing, we didn’t do it for the money.”
Navarro called time on her playing career in 2020 and was later diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma, before hanging up her racket for good following a brief comeback once her cancer was in remission.
She reached the fourth round at Wimbledon four times and made the quarter-finals at the other three Grand Slams.
Ali’s daughter Rosie, who will be working in the Wimbledon shop during the tournament, added: “It’s nice to be able to know them, have that mild connection and be able to say, ‘She’s staying at mine! She popped by.’
“The way Wimbledon comes alive over this period, I’ve always preferred it to Christmas just because there is so much more excitement in the air, the shop windows get done up.”
FRENCH FANCIES
Renting a room or more of their home out to elite athletes gave the family a first-hand chance to see their wide-ranging diets.
And some were certainly healthier than others.
Ali continued: “For Carla, breakfast would be some fruit and toast. The Chinese cooked for themselves, fried eggs and broth.
“But one French player ate terribly! The children thought it was hilarious – she loved honey nut Cheerios, full-fat milk, anything with sugar in it.
“She was hysterical. She didn’t stay in the game very long. When she lost she would eat a pint of ice cream!”
Ali’s youngest, son Harry, bumped into Emma Raducanu with a chance meeting just three days before the first of her three surgeries on her hands and ankle that have ruled her out of this year's tournament.
Ali added: “I had dropped him off and saw him walking into Southfields station with a girl so I shouted, ‘Stop flirting!’
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“He said it was Emma and I thought he was joking but it was. She doesn’t go on the tube very often and was a bit confused so she asked Harry how to get to Notting Hill.
“He’s a rower and totally geeked out asking her about her training programme.”
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