Skip to main content

Forget work and find Google’s hidden, fun, time-wasting Wimbledon tennis game

Andy Boxall/digitaltrends.com

One of the world’s greatest and most famous tennis tournaments, Wimbledon, is entering its final stages in the U.K., and many tennis fans will be watching the matches when they can, or subsequently searching for scores online to find the outcome of those they missed. Google knows what you’re doing, and has included another of its fun Easter eggs for those looking to take a short (or not so short) break from what you should really be doing. Work, probably.

Hidden away in the Google Search page is a secret Wimbledon-inspired tennis game that you can play. It’s essentially a slightly updated version of Pong, with cute 8-bit-style tennis players knocking a ball back and forth. Rather than get bogged down in simulating an actual game of tennis, Google’s tennis game is a high score challenge against an unstoppable opposition. You play until you lose, not until you win.

Recommended Videos

Sound fun? Of course it does, and who doesn’t want to take a break every now and then? Finding the game is a challenge in itself until you know where to look. The good news is, it’s available on both your phone and the desktop, so you can keep your browsing history free of non-work related activity. Ready? Let’s find it.

Open Chrome on your phone or desktop and type, “Wimbledon Scores,” into the Search bar. Unsurprisingly, this will return a host of results related to what’s happening on the court; but the one we’re interested in is the top box with the purple header, which contains all the current information. You can select different categories — Men’s Singles, Women’s Singles, and so on — but instead, slide this bar to the left to reveal a little green tennis ball icon. This is what we’re looking for.

Tap the tennis ball icon to start the game. If you’re using your phone then tap either side of your player to move left or right, or on the desktop, you can use the cursor keys to do the same. What do you do? Simple, return the ball if you can, and if you think it’s going to be easy, don’t. The speed increases the more you play, and your opponent is cunning, so be prepared to spend a while getting a respectable score. It’s genius, as always. Google, we “love” you, get it?

Andy Boxall
Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…
What you need to know about Epic Games’ feud with Apple (and Google)
Fortnite iPhone

Antitrust concerns have resurfaced this year as various government agencies have launched investigations into the market power of big tech companies. But public servants aren’t the only ones concerned about the power of Big Tech; private companies are also on the attack.

The most notable example is the legal battle between video game giant Epic Games (developer of the video game Fortnite) and Apple, the most valuable company in the world. Here’s a history of the ongoing feud, the latest developments, and how it all might affect you.
What's rotten with Apple?
For Epic and other developers, Apple’s control of the App Store is the sticking point. This was one of the issues brought up at the House Judiciary antitrust hearing in July. Critics contend that Apple uses its control over the App Store, the gateway to iOS users, to extract excessive revenue cuts (up to 30%) from app developers.

Read more
Epic Games sues Google, Apple for alleged app store monopolies
Fortnite iPhone

Epic Games filed suit against Google for alleged monopolistic and anticompetitive app store practices, just hours after Fortnite was taken down from the Google Play Store and the gaming studio filed a lawsuit against Apple on similar grounds. Google’s antitrust behavior, Epic Games argues, breaks Android’s original “open ecosystem” promises and eliminates consumer choice.

In its complaint filed Thursday, August 13, Epic Games says that such anticompetitive policies, which violate both the Sherman Act and California’s Cartwright Act, have enabled Google to build a monopoly and stifled “competition in the distribution of Android apps using myriad contractual and technical barriers.”

Read more
Indie game devs are taking a gamble on Google’s Stadia, and it’s paying off
Google Stadia controller.

The early days of Stadia have seen a mix of good and bad news. Google's cloud gaming service has become a reliable, stable offering, with solid performance over connections that meet its stated minimum requirements. The problem? Its game library is limited.

Google has turned to independent studios for help, bolstering its selection with games like Celeste, Monster Boy, and the Steamworld franchise. Some indies have even launched as a timed Stadia exclusive.

Read more