Wimbledon is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, and is arguably the most prestigious and biggest of all the Grand Slams. There is a strict dress code for the players as they have to wear white tops, shorts and socks. Wimbledon is also known for its strawberries and cream and the absence of sponsorship around the courts. Wimbledon in 2009 had a roof fitted to Centre Court to prevent loss of playing time during the championships.
Current
2012 was a year where records were broken and people were written into the history books. Roger Federer on the men’s side won his 7th Wimbledon Championship equalling Pete Sampras’ record. Federer was joined in the final by Andy Murray who became the first British man to reach the final of Wimbledon since 1938. Rafael Nadal was knocked out by world number 100 Lukas Rosol and Djokovic fell in the semi finals to eventual winner Federer. Djokovic is the early favourite to win, but whoever wins the Australian Open and the French Open will be regarded as favourites to lift the championship trophy.
In the women’s, Serena Williams won her 5th Wimbledon Championship when she out played Agnieszka Radwanska in 3 sets. The women’s draw was the most competitive for a long time, with anyone in the top 8 players in the world in contention for the title. Angelique Kerber and Victoria Azarenka were the beaten semi finalists. For 2013, Serena Williams will undoubtedly be the favourite heading into summer, but with stars such as Azarenka and Sharapova still in the frame, the women’s Wimbledon title will be as wide open as ever.
For the doubles, Serena and Venus Williams won the doubles competition and their 5thWimbledon title. In the men’s, Jonathan Marray and Frederik Nielsen won the competition to lift their first Grand Slam title together as a doubles pairing. They were in fact a wild card. Marray was the first British man to win in the doubles since 1936. It’s hard to see past the Williams sisters for the women’s doubles after their win in 2012. In the men’s draw it could go any way, with many strong pairings. Marray and Nielsen will have to play well to retain their Wimbledon crown.
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from £History
The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club is a private club which was founded in 1868. In 1876 lawn tennis was added to the games played at Wimbledon and in 1877 the first men’s event was held, won by Spencer Gore out of a field of 22 players. The lawns were arranged so the principal court was surrounded by the others, hence the name “Centre Court”. Once the grounds moved, the Centre Court stayed in the middle and in 1997 when Court Number 1 was built it emphasised the Centre Courts position.
In 1882 the only activity going on at Wimbledon was the lawn tennis, and so Croquet was dropped from the title, only to be reinstated in 1899 for sentimental values. In 1884, the club added Women’s singles and Men’s doubles to the games played, and later Women’s doubles. Until 1922, the reigning champion from the year before played only in the final against the challenger that had come to meet him/her. Wimbledon along with the other 3 Grand Slam events were contested by top-ranked amateur players. No British man has won the competition since Fred Perry in 1936 and no British woman has won since Virginia Wade in 1977. Although, Annabel Croft and Laura Robson have both won the girls’ singles titles in 1984 and 2008 respectively.
Stadium
The main court at Wimbledon is used only twice a year apart from exceptions such as the London Olympics in 2012. Centre Court has a capacity of 15,000 and has also as recent as 2009 had a roof fitted so there is no delay in the time period of the championships. The Centre Court has a Royal Box which is used by the Royal Family and their invited guests, and also has state of the art facilities such as Hawk-eye, new media facilities and commentator boxes. Number 1 court has a capacity of 11,340 and is the second largest court at Wimbledon. It hosts a number of high profile matches during the championships but is mostly only used during the 2 weeks of Wimbledon. The overall capacity of the grounds of Wimbledon on a day to day basis is 38,500.
