The National AIDS Memorial Grove offers consoling shade, while the stand of old-growth redwoods at Strybing Arboretum is ideal for meditation before a fierce match at theLawn Bowling Club.
The All England Lawn Tennis Club has been de-stuffed for London 2012 Olympic pink and purple has replaced much of the club's signature green, and players dress in home country colors instead of customary whites.
The real question is the stakes, and the level of competition, and over a week at the All-England Lawn Tennis Club it was clear that a high-level field was playing for keeps.