The Wimbledon Championships is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments. It is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, and is regarded by many as the most prestigious. The Championships are unique because they are the only Grand Slam played on a grass court.
It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London, since 1877.
In 1876, lawn tennis, a game devised by Major Walter Clopton Wingfield a year or so earlier, was added to the activities of the All-England Croquet Club at Wimbledon.
In spring 1877, the club was renamed "The All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club".
The inaugural Wimbledon Championship was held to raise money for repairs to the club's pony-drawn lawn roller. The competition started on July 9, 1877.
The first Wimbledon Tennis Competition was solely as an amateur competition. Men's singles was the only event that took place. Entrants had to pay a guinea (£1.05) each.
The first Wimbledon tournament featured 22 male tennis players competing for a 12-guinea prize, plus a silver challenge cup valued at 25 guineas.
Just 200 people turn up to the first Wimbledon final at the original venue in Worple Road, paying a shilling each to watch Spencer Gore stroll past William Marshall 6-1, 6–2, 6–4 on July 19, 1877.
Old Harrovian Spencer Gore was heard to remark afterwards: "Lawn tennis is a bit boring. It will never catch on."
Spencer Gore was the first player who ever used the technique of volleying, therefore he is considered the creator of the style of volley. He was also a first-class cricketer who played for Surrey County Cricket Club in the mid-1870s.
The first Wimbledon Championship made a profit of £10.
The Wimbledon women's event began seven years later in 1884 with a a field of thirteen competitors. Playing in a white corset and petticoat, 19-year-old Maud Watson defeated her older sister Lilian Watson 6–8, 6–3, 6–3 in the final.
Maud Watson's first prize was a silver flower-basket worth 20 guineas.
In 1907 Norman Brookes of Australia becomes the first international Wimbledon Men's Singles champion.
King George VI, as Prince Albert, played in 1926 at the All England Championships at Wimbledon in the men's doubles.
At Wimbledon in 1932, the English player Henry “Bunny” Austin became the first to wear shorts at a major championship.
In 1967, BBC Two screened four hours of live Wimbledon tennis as Britain's first color television broadcast.
Wimbledon adopted yellow tennis balls in 1986 with the advent of color television; before that, white balls were used.
Roger Federer (2003–2007, 2009, 2012, 2017) holds the record for the most men's singles titles with eight.
Martina Navratilova (1978–1979, 1982–1987, 1990) holds the record for most women's singles titles with nine.
The fastest ever serve at Wimbledon was 148 mph in 2010 by Taylor Dent of the USA in his match against Novak Djokovic.
The loudest known "grunt" came from Maria Sharapova during the 2009 tournament, recorded at about 105 decibels – the equivalent of standing three feet from a motorcycle.
A Miss M.H. de Amorim of Brazil entered the record book for having served 17 consecutive double faults to begin her match at Wimbledon in 1957. She lost.
The oldest ever Men’s Single Champion was Arthur Gore of Great Britain who won the title at the age of 41 in 1909.
At 17 years and 227 days old, Boris Becker was the youngest player (and first unseeded player and first German) to win the men’s singles title.
Mita Klima from Austria is the youngest player to ever compete in the tournament. She was 13 when she lost a first-round match in the 1907 tournament and was never heard from again.
The shortest player ever was Gertrude Hoahing, who stood 4 ft. 9 in. tall.
An average men's match at Wimbledon takes two-and-a-half hours during which the ball is in play for only 20 minutes.
52,000 balls used are used each year during the two weeks of the Wimbledon tennis championships.
Goran Ivanisevic is the only Wimbledon winner whose name alternates consonants and vowels.
Wimbledon champions have worn a straw hat (M.E.A. Watson, 1884), a cloche hat (Suzanne Lenglen, 1919). an eye shade (Helen Wills Moody, 1927-38), and a white jockey cap (Alice Marble, 1939).
An inscription from Rudyard Kipling's poem "If" adorns the doorway through which the players walk onto Centre Court at Wimbledon. It reads "If you can meet with Triumph & Disaster; And treat those two impostors just the same."
In 1998, Yevgeny Kafelnikov's match with Mark Philippoussis was interrupted when a mouse ran onto the court during play.
Source Daily Mail
It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London, since 1877.
 |
| Simona Haleb at Wimbledon. Pixiebay |
HISTORY
In 1876, lawn tennis, a game devised by Major Walter Clopton Wingfield a year or so earlier, was added to the activities of the All-England Croquet Club at Wimbledon.
In spring 1877, the club was renamed "The All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club".
The inaugural Wimbledon Championship was held to raise money for repairs to the club's pony-drawn lawn roller. The competition started on July 9, 1877.
The first Wimbledon Tennis Competition was solely as an amateur competition. Men's singles was the only event that took place. Entrants had to pay a guinea (£1.05) each.
The first Wimbledon tournament featured 22 male tennis players competing for a 12-guinea prize, plus a silver challenge cup valued at 25 guineas.
Just 200 people turn up to the first Wimbledon final at the original venue in Worple Road, paying a shilling each to watch Spencer Gore stroll past William Marshall 6-1, 6–2, 6–4 on July 19, 1877.
Old Harrovian Spencer Gore was heard to remark afterwards: "Lawn tennis is a bit boring. It will never catch on."
 |
| Spencer Gore |
Spencer Gore was the first player who ever used the technique of volleying, therefore he is considered the creator of the style of volley. He was also a first-class cricketer who played for Surrey County Cricket Club in the mid-1870s.
The first Wimbledon Championship made a profit of £10.
The Wimbledon women's event began seven years later in 1884 with a a field of thirteen competitors. Playing in a white corset and petticoat, 19-year-old Maud Watson defeated her older sister Lilian Watson 6–8, 6–3, 6–3 in the final.
Maud Watson's first prize was a silver flower-basket worth 20 guineas.
 |
| Ladies Championship, 1884. |
In 1907 Norman Brookes of Australia becomes the first international Wimbledon Men's Singles champion.
King George VI, as Prince Albert, played in 1926 at the All England Championships at Wimbledon in the men's doubles.
At Wimbledon in 1932, the English player Henry “Bunny” Austin became the first to wear shorts at a major championship.
In 1967, BBC Two screened four hours of live Wimbledon tennis as Britain's first color television broadcast.
Wimbledon adopted yellow tennis balls in 1986 with the advent of color television; before that, white balls were used.
RECORDS
Roger Federer (2003–2007, 2009, 2012, 2017) holds the record for the most men's singles titles with eight.
Martina Navratilova (1978–1979, 1982–1987, 1990) holds the record for most women's singles titles with nine.
The fastest ever serve at Wimbledon was 148 mph in 2010 by Taylor Dent of the USA in his match against Novak Djokovic.
The loudest known "grunt" came from Maria Sharapova during the 2009 tournament, recorded at about 105 decibels – the equivalent of standing three feet from a motorcycle.
A Miss M.H. de Amorim of Brazil entered the record book for having served 17 consecutive double faults to begin her match at Wimbledon in 1957. She lost.
The oldest ever Men’s Single Champion was Arthur Gore of Great Britain who won the title at the age of 41 in 1909.
At 17 years and 227 days old, Boris Becker was the youngest player (and first unseeded player and first German) to win the men’s singles title.
Mita Klima from Austria is the youngest player to ever compete in the tournament. She was 13 when she lost a first-round match in the 1907 tournament and was never heard from again.
The shortest player ever was Gertrude Hoahing, who stood 4 ft. 9 in. tall.
FUN WIMBLEDON FACTS
An average men's match at Wimbledon takes two-and-a-half hours during which the ball is in play for only 20 minutes.
52,000 balls used are used each year during the two weeks of the Wimbledon tennis championships.
Goran Ivanisevic is the only Wimbledon winner whose name alternates consonants and vowels.
Wimbledon champions have worn a straw hat (M.E.A. Watson, 1884), a cloche hat (Suzanne Lenglen, 1919). an eye shade (Helen Wills Moody, 1927-38), and a white jockey cap (Alice Marble, 1939).
An inscription from Rudyard Kipling's poem "If" adorns the doorway through which the players walk onto Centre Court at Wimbledon. It reads "If you can meet with Triumph & Disaster; And treat those two impostors just the same."
In 1998, Yevgeny Kafelnikov's match with Mark Philippoussis was interrupted when a mouse ran onto the court during play.
Source Daily Mail
No comments:
Post a Comment