Aorangi Terrace, commonly known as "Henman Hill", alongside a series of other nicknames,
is a mostly grassed banked area in the grounds of the
All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club
The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, also known as the All England Club, based at Church Road, Wimbledon, London, Wimbledon, London, England, is a Gentlemen's club, private members' club. It is best known as the venue for the Wimbledon ...
where, during the annual
Wimbledon tennis championships
The Wimbledon Championships, commonly known simply as Wimbledon, is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and is widely regarded as the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London, since 1877 and is pla ...
, crowds of people without showcourt tickets can watch the
tennis
Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...
matches live on a giant
television screen
A display device is an output device for presentation of information in visual or tactile form (the latter used for example in tactile electronic displays for blind people). When the input information that is supplied has an electrical signal the ...
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.
Aorangi Terrace's nickname of ''Henman Hill'' emerged in the late 1990s when British supporters would congregate to watch the matches of
Tim Henman
Timothy Henry Henman (born 6 September 1974) is a British former professional tennis player. Henman played a serve-and-volley style of tennis. He was the first British man to reach the singles semifinals of Wimbledon since Roger Taylor in th ...
at the site.
The hill is frequently given other alliterative nicknames relating to British players competing at Wimbledon (''Rusedski Ridge'', ''Murray Mound,
'' ''Heather Hill'', ''Konta Contour'', ''Raducanu Rise
'', ''Raducanu Ridge'', etc.) but Henman Hill has remained the most commonly used phrase.
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
Aoraki / Mount Cook is the highest mountain in New Zealand. Its height, as of 2014, is listed as . It sits in the Southern Alps, the mountain range that runs the length of the South Island. A popular tourist destination, it is also a favourite ...
, 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. This coincided with the popularity of
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
player
Tim Henman
Timothy Henry Henman (born 6 September 1974) is a British former professional tennis player. Henman played a serve-and-volley style of tennis. He was the first British man to reach the singles semifinals of Wimbledon since Roger Taylor in th ...
, 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 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
A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify either generation, an official position, or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may be inserted between the f ...
.
Since Henman's retirement in 2007, 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'', ''Mount Murray'', ''Murray Mountain'' and ''Murrayfield'' (in reference to
the stadium in Edinburgh of the same name) all used.
, the name "Henman Hill" is still used by the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
and other media in reference to the area. In 2009, Tim Henman stated on ''
'' that he had agreed with Andy Murray it is still "Henman Hill". Henman joked that "
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 in Wimbledon. During
matches, the area was sometimes called ''Rusedski Ridge''; ''Robson Ridge'' or ''Robson Green'' have been used in reference to
in the 2021 US Open has led to speculation for the name ''Raducanu Ridge'' for Wimbledon 2022, in line with ''Rusedski Ridge'' and ''Robson Ridge''. Other potential names for the hill have been suggested by the BBC, with Raducanu Rise
coming out as the public's favorite.
For the 2022 Wimbledon tournament, which was also the centenary edition, a recreation of Henman Hill was created by the AELTC in
, from July 8 to 10. Dubbed the "Hill in New York", it was setup in
. Tickets were available on a walk-in-basis up to a limit of 1,000 people per day.