Wimbledon

In 1877, in the area of the All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club, the history of the world's most prestigious tennis tournament began. Its first ground was situated off Worple Road, Wimbledon. The competition had only 22 male participants, and the first winner in Gentlemen's Singles was Spencer GORE. The Gentlemen's Doubles event was added in 1879, Ladies' Singles in 1884, and the Ladies' Doubles and Mixed Doubles in 1913. In 1905, May SUTTON of the United States became the first Ladies' Singles overseas winner. In 1907, Norman BROOKES of Australia won the first Gentlemen's Singles as an international player.

In 1922, new ground on Church Road was opened by King George V. New Centre Court had a capacity of 14 thousand people. The Royal Box of Centre Court seats 75 people. It is reserved for royalty and celebrities who have received an official invitation from the Chairman of the Club. In 2009, a new retractable roof was built on Centre Court, which enables weather play during The Championships. Wimbledon is renowned for its many iconic traditions. Royal patronage, all-white dress code for players, grass height of 8 mm, no advertising on the courts, queues of fans, Rufus the Hawk, strawberries and cream, etc. All this creates a unique atmosphere around the tournament, emphasizing its uniqueness in world tennis. In 2020, the Wimbledon championships were canceled for the first time since World War Two due to the coronavirus pandemic. In 2022, tennis players from Russia and Belarus were banned from Wimbledon because of the Russian aggression against Ukraine. In response, the ATP and WTA have stripped Wimbledon of its ranking points.

Wimbledon's relationship history with the Royal Family dates back to 1907 when the Prince of Wales (the future King George V) and his wife, Princess Mary, accepted an invitation to attend matches at the tournament. George Hilliard, a childhood friend of the future King and the new secretary of the Wimbledon Club asked the Prince to present the trophy to the winner. Hilliard also requested that the Prince find a way to patronize the tournament. In 1910, King George V ascended the throne. He became the patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, marking the beginning of a tradition that has lasted for more than 100 years. Queen Elizabeth II has visited Wimbledon four times: in 1957, 1962, 1977, and most recently on 24 June 2010. Her Majesty came to watch British favorite Andy MURRAY play Jarkko NIEMINEN.

In 2010 the longest match in tennis history took place at Wimbledon. John ISNER of USA beat Nicolas MAHUT of France 6-4, 3-6, 6-7(7), 7-6(3), 70-68 after a record 11 hours, 5 minutes spread over three days. The match began at 18:13 on Tuesday, 22 June 2010, on Court 18 at Wimbledon. At 21:07, due to fading daylight, the play was suspended. After resuming on Wednesday, 23 June, at 14:05, the play continued until the final set was tied at 59 games. At that point, the court was again plunged into darkness and the play was suspended again at 21:09. The play resumed again at 15:40 on Thursday, 24 June. Isner eventually won the match at 16:47, the final set having lasted 8 hours and 11 minutes.

Wimbledon's motivational slogans have inspired many tennis players. More than one generation of champions and future legends have taken inspiration from Rudyard Kipling's phrase from the poem 'If' "If you can meet with triumph and disaster and treat those two impostors just the same" before entering the matches that made them great. Among them are eight-time champion Roger FEDERER and nine-time titleholder Martina NAVRATILOVA. Other famous Wimbledon mottos are: "In Pursuit of Greatness" and "Always Like Never Before".

Wimbledon TROPHIES

In 1883, William RENSHAW won the original Field Cup (which was introduced in 1877) for the third time, which entitled him to keep the trophy. In 1884-1886, Renshaw again won the Wimbledon Singles title 3 times, meaning that he took home the next trophy - Challenge Cup - as well. The All England Tennis Club decided that it was getting expensive to keep replacing the trophy, so it was decided that the new trophy would remain with the club. The Gentlemen’s Singles Trophy was crafted by silverware company Elkington in 1883 before being purchased by the All England Lawn Tennis Club for 100 guineas in 1886. In 1887, the new trophy was won by Herbert LAWFORD. the Gentlemen’s Singles Trophy is made of silver gilt, and the trophy is 18 inches high with a diameter of 7.5 inches. The champions receive a three-quarter size replica of the trophy. Around the trophy are engraved the dates and names of the previous winners. In 2009, there was no more space left to engrave the dates and names, so a black plinth with an ornamented silver band was designed to accompany the trophy.

The Wimbledon trophy for the Ladies Single Championship is a silver plate, also known as the Venus Rosewater Dish. It was made in Birmingham in 1864 by the city's silversmiths Elkington and Co. The trophy is a copy of a large pewter dish that is currently on display in the White Drawing Room in the Louvre. The theme of reproduction's decoration is related not to tennis but to Classical mythology. In 1886, the trophy was first won by Blanche BINGLEY. She won six singles Wimbledon championships and was runner-up seven times. Each year the Wimbledon Ladies Singles champion receives a smaller version of the dish. From 1949 to 2006, all winners received a miniature replica of the trophy (diameter 8 inches), and from 2007 all Champions received a three-quarter replica of the trophy, bearing the names of all past Champions (diameter 14 inches). The names of the winners from 1884 to 1957 are inscribed on the inside of the dish, with the names of 1958 to present on the outside.

All-time Wimbledon Winners

Men's Singles