Meet the Voice of Wimbledon, Allis Moss, who has been busy with rain-filled days
WIMBLEDON, England — Perched overlooking the intersection where Court 14 and Centre Court meet at the All England Club, Allis Moss, in her first year as “the voice of Wimbledon,” offers a Vocalzone-brand throat lozenge.
“They’re quite delicious,” says Moss, the microphone in front of her securely switched to the off position. “I knew this would be an intense two weeks.”
Perhaps not this intense, however. Through the first six days of Wimbledon, Moss, a radio broadcaster and professor, has made more than 30 announcements — most of them pertaining to frustrating weather developments — and is in her office on Middle Sunday, only the fourth time the tournament has contested play on what usually is a day of rest.
“To be honest, I could have done with a day off,” she says, laughing.
Every sporting event has a public address system in place, but the one at Wimbledon is — like the tournament — done with a different touch. Moss welcomes fans to the grounds each day on loudspeakers that stretch across the main stadium courts and weave along the tournament’s famous queue route.
Her job is simple in task but complicated in tone: Deliver the good, bad and informative with an even approach. Her voice? Quintessentially British, of course.
“I always like to feel like I’m one with people,” she says in an interview, having handed over a lozenge to sample. “I’m in it with them. The weather is the weather, but we do use words that are essentially apologies when it’s been going on a long time and we want to thank people for their patience.”
There was a lot to apologize for in week one. Rain delays wreaked havoc for much of it, frustrations building as umbrellas were popped, time and time again. On Wednesday, Moss made 10 weather-related announcements, which she was told is a record.
"I'm sorry to say that further showers are expected," she said over the speakers at one point, her voice earnest.
Then, later: “The referee has decided there will be no further play. Thank you for your patience on what has been a somewhat trying day.”
On Twitter, she gained a cult following as the announcements poured around the grounds, particularly as the trying weather continued.
“Honestly, I’d like to buy Wimbledon voice a stiff drink and give her a hug,” WTA writer Courtney Nguyen tweeted on Thursday evening. “She sounds sad and exhausted.”
Moss is keenly aware: The sound of her voice in thousands of ears each day might mean bad news, but she also doesn’t take pause at that. She takes pride in being the informant.
“We’re not in control of the weather and this is a grass court tournament with only one roofed court,” she explains. “You want to strike the balance between empathizing and saying sorry that the day might not have gone as we all liked it to have gone. But you also have to be cheerful and upbeat. In a sense I’m out there, even if I’m sitting here behind my microphone. We’re all in it together.”
Moss was born in London and worked for much of the '90s for BBC radio, most famously on the British hit The Danny Baker Show, where she served as a newsreader and sidekick to Baker. She worked for BBC TV in the late '90s, then moved to Paris for much of the early 2000s.
It was a BBC colleague and friend who told her of this opening, and she came in to audition this spring. She’s currently working in academia, both as a professor and researcher.
“I was quite nervous before I came because Wimbledon is such an institution,” Moss admits. “And you’re communicating to a crowd that is very engaged with the sport that they’re watching.”
Moss is situated in a room with the tournament’s meteorologist, his wall plastered with different weather-monitoring Doppler screens. Another bank of screens watches all match play, one channel per court. And next door is the referee’s office, where to-play-or-not-play decisions are made.
Her vantage point is one that is “panoramic,” as she describes it. Court 14 is directly in front of her, Court 18 further up and to the left and then Henman Hill, where fans gather to watch on the big screen off of No. 1 Court.
“As soon as the first rain drops hit, up go people’s umbrellas,” she says.
She has two dashboards, each one with a microphone. The first is for internal communication — security, media, referees, player area — and the second is public announcements, like for Aorangi Terrace (the practice area), the queue, Centre Court or the northern part of the grounds, which features show courts No. 2 and 3.
She is armed with a script, but she does plenty of tweaking, as well.
“We share in your frustration,” Moss said on the public address system on Wednesday, after a day full of rain stops and starts.
Does she feel as though she’s the bearer of bad news? That if people knew her face around the grounds they would scowl at her?
“I don’t feel it to be a negative role,” she says. “I’m a voice that is telling people what’s happening and I don’t see that as a negative. I see the communicator as a positive thing. I’m keeping people informed.”
The quietest time of Moss’ day is likely on her morning bike rides in, when she comes from a friend’s flat where she is staying. She walks to her office unnoticed, perhaps pondering her tone and cadence, continuing to settle in to her new role. She’s tried to infuse a little bit of herself in it.
“There is the room for warmth,” she says of the announcements. “Is there room for an odd joke? I don’t know. I haven’t pushed those boundaries yet.”
When — and if — she does, Wimbledon will be listening.
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