History of Wimbledon Tennis Championships - Facts and Figures

Do you know from when your favorite racquet game started? Well, it has got quite an interesting history behind it. While the game actually started somewhere in the 16th century, there is a fact that might interest you. There was a time when the royals of the society loved throwing and catching a ball with their palms. This game used to take place between 2 players, and they called it handball. Later on, these royals had the idea of upgrading the sport for convenience and brought in the tennis racquets to offer comfort to the palms.

While the royals started this sport as a recreational activity, soon the world knew it as one of the most important professional sports. So, tournaments started, with the Wimbledon Tournament becoming the oldest one. You can even call it the father of tennis tournaments.

History of Wimbledon

When discussing tennis, you cannot proceed without discussing Wimbledon. Today, you might enjoy several tennis tournaments, but how did people start recognizing these tournaments? It was only through the Wimbledon tournament. But do you know that the start and popularity of the Wimbledon Tournament were not as smooth as we assume today?

Today, you know and recognize the Wimbledon court because of the tennis sport. However, this was not the case almost more than a decade ago. During those days, it was the croquet sport that dominated the Wimbledon court. Now when people started taking an interest in tennis, the Wimbledon Association offered a smaller part of the court on lease for this new sport that time during the 1800s. Soon, history was created when the very first Wimbledon Championship Tournament was inaugurated with only 22 contestants in 1870. This tournament gave the tennis world its very first champion, Spencer Gore, and the match was witnessed by as many as 200 spectators.

The Wimbledon Formats

The Championship Tournament started with Men’s Singles that announced Spencer Gore was the first Tennis Champion. Seeing the success story of the tournament, soon Men’s Doubles and then Women’s Singles were introduced by 1880. By now, the spectator count of 200 in 1870 rose to a count of 3000. It was by 1913 that even Women’s Doubles and Mixed Championships were started.

So, what format does the Wimbledon Championship follow now?

The Championship lasts for 2 weeks. The first week is all about the qualifying matches. These last for about 2-3 days, and players winning these qualifying matches enter the main draw rounds. Now, during the main draw, four rounds are conducted for which the first week’s remaining days are devoted. Of course, the Tournament’s last week starts with the Quarter-Finals followed by the Semi-Finals, and ultimately the most interesting matches take place in both Singles and Doubles, which is the Finals.

The Uniqueness of the Wimbledon Tournament

The Wimbledon Championship is one of the most prestigious tournaments in tennis history because it is the one that started the system of tennis championship tournaments globally. Apart from this, there is another factor that makes it much different than any other tennis tournament as of now. If you know about the Wimbledon a little bit, you will know what we are talking about—the Court!

The lush green grass is the prime element that makes anyone recognize the Wimbledon Tournament. Of course, the Australian Open and the U.S. Open Tournaments also started with the grass court, but now they are being played on hard courts. The French Open has always preferred the clay court. So, it is only the Wimbledon Championship now that still is being played on the grass court. Moreover, you can say that it is the Championship that truly justifies the name of the game of Lawn Tennis.

The Lush Grass Court at the Wimbledon

Have you ever thought about what makes the Wimbledon court so different compared to any other tennis court in the world? It is the lush green grassy court on which the players have to play during the tournament. The authorities use 100% rye-grass to offer the court this smooth and amazing feel for the players to play and the audience to watch.

The Wimbledon Tournament is considered one of the epic tournaments also for its court. While other courts across the world offer hard courts for the convenience of the players, Wimbledon has maintained its traditional grass court. Grass creates a challenge for the players, especially when there is dew on them, as it can cause the players to slip and fall easily. Usually, the ball will bounce less and will move faster on a grass court. Also, players playing on a clay court will find it much more difficult to glide through the grass court.

So, tennis players who are faster and believe in playing with powerful strokes are the best for the grass court of Wimbledon. It is the court that has offered superstars such as Roger Federer to the tennis world.

Traditional and Consistent Dress Code

Have you noticed that the players do not experiment much when they play for the Wimbledon Tournament? This is because of the rule that the committee has had since 1963 regarding the dress code. The rule clearly says that the only color that the players can wear to play the sport on the Wimbledon court is white. The rule was amended once in 1995 when it was mentioned that players can wear outfits that are almost white. Another amendment has been made recently in 2023 in which female players are allowed to wear undershorts of darker shades.

Winners of Wimbledon

If you have followed Wimbledon closely, you will know who the real star is, isn’t it? Yes, we are talking about Roger Federer here. However, Billie Jean King is another name that comes from the initial matches of Wimbledon. Other names that you can have who ruled the Wimbledon court are Martina Navratilova, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Steffi Graf, Pete Sampras, Serena Williams, Bjorn Borg, and Venus Williams.

The new generation is also all set to accept and conquer the challenges of the Wimbledon grass court. Tennis lovers and fans are pretty anxious to see who is going to be the next star of the grassy court. Recently, it has been Carlos Alcaraz who has won the title in 2023 and 2024 in a row.

Interesting Facts about the Wimbledon Tournament

• Wimbledon is called the father of tennis tournaments as the practice of tournament championships started with Wimbledon.
• BBC first telecasted the Wimbledon Championship for the first time on 21st June 1937.
• In 2010, US player John Isner defeated French player Nicolas Mahut in 11 hours and 5 minutes. The match continued for 3 days to get a winner.
• While you may think that the winners take home the Wimbledon trophy, they actually don’t. What the players carry home is the replica while the real one still remains in the display of the All England Club museum.
• As many as 250 boys and girls are trained to keep track of the balls during the match.
• As many as 54,250 balls are used in a single event, and balls are replaced after every 7-9 games.
• Recently, Wimbledon has also introduced matches for junior boys and girls, and we expect more events to come up in a similar line.

Frequently Asked Questions

When did the first Wimbledon Championship take place? The first-ever Wimbledon Championship took place in 1877.

Is there any particular dress code to play Wimbledon? Yes, the players must arrive at the court in almost white to play the matches in Wimbledon.

What type of court surface does Wimbledon have? The Wimbledon court is known for its grassy surface.

What do the winners get to carry home in Wimbledon? The winners carry home a replica of the Wimbledon trophy while the actual trophy is kept in the club’s museum display.

Who first telecasted the Wimbledon event on television? It was BBC that first telecasted the Wimbledon event on television almost 130 years ago in 1937.