2016 Wimbledon – History of the All England Club

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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History and Traditions at Wimbledon

The Tournament’s Origin

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).

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