History of Wimbledon is the worlds oldest tennis
History of Wimbledon is the world’s oldest tennis tournament and widely considered the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments (Majors), the others being the Australian Open, the French Open and the US Open. Wimbledon is the only Major still played on traditional grass, the game's original surface, which gave the game its original name of "lawn tennis". Photo courtesy of (jay galvin@flickr. com) - granted under creative commons licence – attribution
Trophies and Prize Money Wimbledon consists of five main events, five junior events and five invitation events. The Gentlemen's Singles champion receives a silver gilt cup. The trophy has been awarded since 1887 and bears the inscription: "All England Lawn Tennis Club Single Handed Championship of the World. “ The Ladies' Singles champion receives a sterling silver salver, which is decorated with figures from mythology. Silver Gilt Cup Sterling Silver Salver
Wimbledon Schedule Wimbledon takes place in late June and early July, culminating with the Ladies' and Gentlemen's Singles Final, scheduled for the second Saturday and Sunday. Wimbledon lasts for 14 days, beginning on a Monday and ending on a Sunday. The five main events span both weeks, but the junior and invitational events are held mainly during the second week. Traditionally, there is no play on the "Middle Sunday", which is considered a rest day. However, rain has forced play on the Middle Sunday three times, in 1991, 1997 and 2004. From 2015 onward, the championships will begin one week later than in previous years, extending the gap between the tournament and the French Open from two to three weeks.
Wimbledon Female Champions Martina Navratilova - She won 18 Grand Slam singles titles, won a record 9 Wimbledon singles titles and a record 167 singles titles in total between 1978 and 1990. Photo courtesy of (Marianne Bevis@flickr. com) - granted under creative commons licence – attribution
Wimbledon Female Champions Steffi Graf - She won seven Wimbledon singles titles between 1988 and 1996. Her greatest achievement came in 1988 when she won all four Grand Slam titles and Olympic gold. Photo courtesy of (Mister-E@flickr. com) - granted under creative commons licence – attribution
Wimbledon Female Champions Serena Williams - Like her sister, she has won four Olympic gold medals and five Wimbledon singles titles, the latest coming in 2012. Photo courtesy of (Carine 06@flickr. com) - granted under creative commons licence – attribution
Wimbledon Female Champions Venus Williams - She has won a total of five Wimbledon singles titles, spanning between 2000 and 2008 when she beat her sister Serena in the final. Photo courtesy of (y. caradec@flickr. com) - granted under creative commons licence – attribution
Wimbledon Female Champions Billie Jean King - The former world number one won a total of six Wimbledon titles and 39 Grand Slam titles in her career between 1966 and 1975. She also won ten doubles and four mixed doubles titles at Wimbledon. Photo courtesy of (qtschlepper@flickr. com) - granted under creative commons licence – attribution
Wimbledon Male Champions Roger Federer - Federer has won seven men’s singles titles, five in a row between 2003 and 2007, a period where he utterly dominated grass court tennis. Photo courtesy of (mccun 934@flickr. com) - granted under creative commons licence – attribution
Wimbledon Male Champions Pete Sampras - He won seven singles titles at Wimbledon, all between 1993 and 2000. Photo courtesy of (mccun 934@flickr. com) - granted under creative commons licence – attribution
Wimbledon Male Champions Bjorn Borg - Borg won five consecutive men’s singles titles between 1976 and 1980. Photo courtesy of (Mad. Marlin@flickr. com) - granted under creative commons licence – attribution
Wimbledon Male Champions Boris Becker - Becker won his first Wimbledon title aged just 17 in 1985. Becker went onto win a total of three men’s singles titles. Photo courtesy of (Marianne Bevis@flickr. com) - granted under creative commons licence – attribution
Wimbledon Male Champions John Mc. Enroe - At Wimbledon, Mc. Enroe won three singles titles between 1981 and 1984 and five doubles titles. Photo courtesy of (dbking@flickr. com) - granted under creative commons licence – attribution
Grounds Wimbledon is the only Grand Slam event played on grass courts. In 2009, Wimbledon's Centre Court was fitted with a retractable roof to lessen the loss of playing time due to rain. The principal court, Centre Court, was opened in 1922. The main show courts, Centre Court and No. 1 Court, are normally used for only two weeks a year, during the Championships, but play can extend into a third week in exceptional circumstances. The remaining 17 courts are regularly used for other events hosted by the Club. Wimbledon hosted the tennis events of the 2012 Olympic Games.
Grounds Centre Court
Wimbledon Traditions Ball Girls and Boys Ball boys and girls play an important role in the tournament. They apply through schools and face a number of physical and written tests before being chosen for the role. Photo courtesy of (Marc Di Luzio@flickr. com) - granted under creative commons licence – attribution
Wimbledon Traditions Dress Code All Wimbledon tennis players are required to wear all-white or at least almost all-white clothing. Photo courtesy of (Mister-E@flickr. com) - granted under creative commons licence – attribution
Wimbledon Traditions Advertising The tournament does not feature any sponsorship advertising around the courts. Photo courtesy of (jay galvin@flickr. com) - granted under creative commons licence – attribution
Wimbledon Traditions Tickets The majority of centre court tickets are made available by a public ballot where applicants are selected at random by a computer. Fans without tickets can queue up overnight to get seats on match day. There a certain number of seats allocated for the queuing system. Photo courtesy of (acme@flickr. com) - granted under creative commons licence – attribution
Wimbledon Traditions Royal Family Players are required to bow or curtsy if HRH The Prince of Wales, or Her Majesty The Queen is present in the Royal Box at Centre Court. Photo courtesy of (anonlinegreenworld@flickr. com) - granted under creative commons licence – attribution
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