Inside Wimbledon’s exclusive Last 8 club: the second home to SW19 greats

Tucked away behind the All England Club’s gate number five is one of the world’s most exclusive sporting societies. The entrance to the Last 8 Club could go completely unnoticed as it is next to a large backdrop where fans can pose for photos en route to Centre Court. The only indicator that one of Wimbledon’s most prestigious, yet unknown, gathering places is there is the presence of two security guards obscuring the entrance.

The name of the club is rather self-explanatory – membership is granted to any man or woman who has made the singles quarter-finals. Men’s and women’s doubles players who reach the semi-finals are also invited, as are the winners of mixed doubles. Club membership is for life, with there currently being approximately 680 living members.

Before entering the Last 8 Club, there was certainly a sense of mystique. The concept of a space for tennis greats of past and present to congregate seems like an inner sanctum to intrude upon.

However, having been granted exclusive access to enter the Last 8, it was a warm and welcoming space that greeted Telegraph Sport. That atmosphere seems a good deal down to former British tennis player and self-described “journeyman” John Feaver, who runs the Club.

The 72-year-old is softly spoken yet full of witty tales of his own career, and his various roles in tennis include player liaison for the Championships and his current job. There are paradoxes to the Last 8 club as some outsiders could imagine grandeur and elitism, while on the contrary it is a relatively small space with one of the most relaxed atmospheres of the entire All England Club. Similarly, Feaver himself just missed out on becoming a Wimbledon Last 8 Club member having reached the quarter-final of the men’s doubles and the mixed doubles in 1981.

‘All members get a pass for themselves and a guest’

It is with a tone of kindness that Feaver explains why the Last 8 club was founded in 1986, the first of any of the tennis majors to do so, although they have all now followed suit.

“Buzzer Hadingham, who was [All England Club] chairman, and I think a previous champion who was stuck in the queue and couldn’t get in,” Feaver begins of the reason for the Last 8 club’s creation. “The champion in question saw Buzzer later on and said, ‘this isn’t right?’ They had a conversation and I think the chairman felt players should be held in recognition.

“So they all get one pass for themselves and one for a guest and they come here and this is often the most extraordinary day had for a very long time.”

It is worth noting that Wimbledon champions are granted All England Club membership, yet they still enjoy dropping by the Last 8, with Billie Jean King attending the club’s annual dinner earlier this week. Rod Laver is another Feaver was delighted to see.

Feaver quotes a point King made that Wimbledon is about “playing hard and making lifelong friends”, and he becomes genuinely emotional. “I thought that gets exactly to the point, that’s what this is all about,” as he looks around around the room.

The space is by no means large and feels more akin to an oversized sitting room where families meet with plush green sofas and tables surrounded by comfortable pale pink velvet chairs. There is a bar, a television with the day’s action being played. One wall is painted the deep Wimbledon bottle green and on it, spelt out in gold lettering, are the names of all its members. The size of the name varies on the number of Wimbledon titles won.

Upon meeting South African Last 8 Club member John-Laffnie de Jager, one of the first things he does is find his name and reverently run his fingers over it. “It has been great bringing my kids here and being able to show them this” he smiles, as he reads various names from the wall.

The 51-year-old made the Last 8 after making the men’s doubles semi-finals in 2000. Another particularly fond Wimbledon memory is playing mixed doubles with 1997 singles champion and three times doubles and two times mixed doubles winner Martina Hingis. Her name is in bigger font, due to the amount of silverware she has won, but just above De Jager’s, about which he can’t help but speculate, “I wonder if my name is there because I played with Martina?”

One of the doubles specialist’s funnier Wimbledon tales involves keeping a rubber snake in his bag the entire tournament he was playing with Hingis, in the hope someone would discover it. “It became funny because the guys at security came across it every day I entered and years later one said, ‘Oh, that’s the guy with the snake!’” he chuckles.

De Jager, who has had success as a coach including working with fellow South African Kevin Anderson, says: “I’m fortunate. I’m in the Last 8 [club] of all the slams, but this is by far the best one.”

‘The Last 8 brings…