The Championships, Wimbledon
Wimbledon is the oldest tennis tournament in the world. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London, since 1877. It is played on outdoor grass courts, and since 2009 with a retractable roof over Centre Court.
About The Championships, Wimbledon in brief
Wimbledon is the oldest tennis tournament in the world. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London, since 1877. It is played on outdoor grass courts, and since 2009 with a retractable roof over Centre Court. The tournament traditionally took place over two weeks in late June and early July, starting on the last Monday in June and culminating with the Ladies’ and Gentlemen’s Singles Finals. However, changes to the tennis calendar in 2015 have seen the event moved back by a week to begin in early July. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Championships were cancelled, the first cancellation of the tournament since World War II. In 2017, fans consumed 34,000 kg of English strawberries and 10,000 litres of cream at the tournament. Five major events are held each year, with additional junior and invitational competitions also taking place. Wimbledon traditions include a strict all-white dress code for competitors and royal patronage. In 1876, lawn tennis, a game devised by Major Walter Clopton Wingfield a year or so earlier as an outdoor version of real tennis and originally given the name Sphairistikè, was added to the activities of the club. In spring 1877, the club was renamed \”The All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club\” and signalled its change of name by instituting the first Lawn Tennis Championship. Today’s rules are similar except for details such as the height of the net and posts and the distance of the service line from the net.
Since 2019, a roof was operational over No. 1 Court from 2019, when a number of other improvements were made, including adding cushioned seating and a table. The Wimbledon Championships is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the others being the Australian Open, the French Open and the US Open. The Australian Open shifted to hardcourt in 1988, but Wimbledon is still the only major still played on grass, which is widely considered as the classic tennis court. The first Wimbledon was held on 9 July 1877 and 22 men paid a guinea to enter the tournament, which was to be held over five days. Until 1922, the reigning champion had only won through to the final against whomever had won the final in the previous year. The final was played on July 19, 1877 with Spencer Gore, an old Harrovian rackets player, defeating William Marshall 6-1, 6-2 and 6-4 in 48 minutes. About 200 spectators paid one shilling each to watch the final. The lawns at the ground were arranged so that the principal court was in the middle with the others arranged around it, hence the title \”Centre Court\”. The name was retained when the Club moved in 1922 to the present site in Church Road, although no longer a true description of its location. In 1980, the new courts were brought into commission on north side of the ground, which meant the opening of the new No. 1 Court was once more correctly described.
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