In the wake of the polarizing news about Brexit, England sure could use some positive vibes. Luckily, the 139th edition of Wimbledon is about to hold serve this week to provide some captivating thrills and moments before the impending political and economic issues of the country come to a head.
What makes Wimbledon such a prestigious and highly-anticipated tournament in the first place? Let’s find out more about the tournament’s rich history at the All England Club below. For an in-depth look at this year’s edition of the event, head over to our complete previews for the men’s singles and women’s singles sides of the action right after this.
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The Championships, Wimbledon (known simply as Wimbledon for short) is a two-week spectacle that began way back in 1877, making it the oldest tennis tournament in the world and with all of the event’s matches having been played at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.
Before 1877, however, the All England Club only held croquet tournaments on its courts. It wasn’t until that year that the “lawn tennis” portion was officially included to the venue’s official name, with countless memories having been made since then.
Wimbledon is the only Grand Slam tournament played on grass to date, giving the entire event the quickest pace amongst all four Grand Slam tournaments. The U.S. and Australian Opens used to be held on grass before shifting to hard-court surfaces, while the French Open has been played on clay since its inception.
An All-White Affair
One of the most noticeable characteristics of Wimbledon is that players don primarily white attire all tournament long. This has been the case since the first installment of the event, and will not likely see a change to this rule in the near future given the number of criteria that’s been followed by all participants as listed below:
No solid mass of coloring
Little to no dark or bold colors
No fluorescent colors
Preference for pastel colors
Preference for the back part of upper garments to be completely white
Preference for lower garments to be completely white
All other articles of clothing (socks, headwear, etc.) should be predominantly white
The tournament even had a much stricter dress code in its early years. Before 1947, female players were required to wear full-length skirts, while men had to endure their matches wearing white pants. The times have called for a much-needed fashion update, but the all-white theme remains as a pristine reminder of Wimbledon’s grand antiquity and etiquette alike.
Wimbledon’s Trophies
The Ladies’ Singles champion at Wimbledon is awarded with the Venus Rosewater Dish; a salver made of sterling silver that’s about 19 inches in diameter etched with a variety of mythological figures and all the names of previous champions.
Meanwhile (and as strange as it may seem), the Gentlemen’s Singles champion’s trophy has no distinct name. It does, however, bear an inscription that reads “All England Lawn Tennis Club Single Handed Championship of the World”, and is similar in size with the Venus Rosewater Dish at about 19 inches in height.
Both trophies remain under proper safekeeping at the All England Club’s museum, with the champions set to receive a replica that’s about three-fourths the size of the respective trophy that they just won.
Notable Past Winners
Given that Wimbledon has seen over a century of play, it stands to reason that many tennis greats have made their mark in the tournament. Amongst all active competitors on the ATP and WTA Tours, Roger Federer is the winningest male player in the tournament with seven titles, while Serena Williams lords over the women’s side of things with six titles. Serena’s own sister, Venus, is not that far behind from her sibling with five wins at the All England Club.
Below are the lists of Gentlemen’s and Ladies’ Singles title-winners since the start of the new millennium:
Wimbledon Gentlemen’s Singles Champions (2000-15)
Year
Player
Country
2015
Novak Djokovic
SRB
2014
Novak Djokovic
SRB
2013
Andy Murray
GBR
2012
Novak Djokovic
SRB
2011
Roger Federer
SUI
2010
Novak Djokovic
SRB
2009
Roger Federer
SUI
2008
Rafael Nadal
ESP
2007
Roger Federer
SUI
2006
Roger Federer
SUI
2005
Roger Federer
SUI
2004
Roger Federer
SUI
2003
Roger Federer
SUI
2002
Lleyton Hewitt
AUS
2001
Goran Ivanisevic
CRO
2000
Pete Sampras
USA
Wimbledon Ladies’ Singles Champions (2000-15)
Year
Player
Country
2015
Serena Williams
USA
2014
Petra Kvitova
CZE
2013
Marion Bartoli
FRA
2012
Serena Williams
USA
2011
Petra Kvitova
CZE
2010
Serena Williams
USA
2009
Serena Williams
USA
2008
Venus Williams
USA
2007
Venus Williams
USA
2006
Amelie Mauresmo
FRA
2005
Venus Williams
USA
2004
Maria Sharapova
RUS
2003
Serena Williams
USA
2002
Serena Williams
USA
2001
Venus Williams
USA
2000
Venus Williams
USA
Other Fun Facts
Wimbledon is known for having strawberries and cream as its go-to delicacy during the event. Nearly 112,000 baskets of strawberries are picked and inspected the day before they’re meant to be served to ensure freshness of the iconic fruit.
Every morning, a Harris’s hawk by the name of Rufus circles around the All England Club to keep local pigeons away from the venue. Rufus has become such a figure in Wimbledon that the majestic bird has its own Twitter account (and with over 5,000 followers at that).
250 ball boys and ball girls are selected to be an integral part of Wimbledon. The average age of these helping hands is about 15 years old; each required to undergo eight hours of training per week for four months leading up to the tournament’s grand opening.
The longest match in tennis history was played at the All England Club. In 2010, John Isner and Nicolas Mahut faced off in a first-round match at Wimbledon that lasted a total of 11 hours and five minutes spread across three days of action. Isner won that grueling contest 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (7), 7-6 (3).
