Wimbledon 2026: Your questions answered on umpires, ball boys and ball girls

Question: I’ve never seen an umpire go off court. Do they have breaks? How do they manage if they need the toilet? And can they order food and drinks to their seats?

Colin in Manchester, Ruth in London, Russell in Bournemouth and Sarah in Worcester

Answer: Umpires will have breaks between matches if they are officiating more than one per day. If they do need a comfort break during the match, this is permitted – though they try their hardest to avoid this. They can’t order food to their chair but can be brought smaller items like bananas, and will make sure they take enough water with them.

Question: Can umpires overrule electronic decisions?

Billy in Cleland

Answer: No, electronic decisions made by systems like Hawk-Eye are final. Players also can’t challenge these decisions.

Question: What is on the umpire’s iPad/tablet?

Lucy in Redhill

Answer: The umpires will use tournament management software during the match to assist with scoring and other data.

Question: Do ball boys and girls get paid?

Simon in Armitage and Richard in Newton Abbot

Answer: Ball boys and girls don’t earn a salary at Wimbledon, but they are given a stipend to cover expenses for the two-week period.

Question: How can you become a ball boy or girl at Wimbledon? Is there a specific age?

James in London

Answer: Ball boys and girls are selected from schools in the surrounding area. The ages range from Year 9 to 13 (age 13-18). Approximately 280 are selected from around 1600 applicants every year.

Question: How long do the ball girls and boys train to be at Wimbledon? And what does their training look like?

Stephanie in Oxford

Answer: Training takes place once a week from February to June, and then there is an additional full training week before qualifying rounds.

Question: Why don’t the ball boys and girls carry the finalists’ bags anymore?

Sheila in Lavenham

Answer: This does still happen, but players will be asked if they want their bags carried or not, so not everyone takes up the option.

This article is the latest from BBC Sport’s Ask Me Anything team.