The History of The Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and is widely considered the most prestigious. It is the oldest of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments and the only one still played on grass courts. It has been held at the All England Club in the London suburb of Wimbledon since 1877 and is an annual event which runs for 14 days, from late June to early July. The climax of the event is the men’s singles final.
The Championships, Wimbledon is third in the annual Grand Slam season. The hard court Australian Open and clay court French Open both come earlier in the year and the hard court U.S. Open follows.
How did it all begin?
The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club was founded in 1868 and is responsible for the world's leading tennis tournament. Lawn tennis, originally known as ‘Sphairistike, was invented by Major Walter Clopton Wingfield and was introduced at the Club in 1875. Two years later, the Club was renamed “The All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club” and the first ever Lawn Tennis Championship took place. A new code of laws was drawn up and most of these laws still stand today.
During this first Championship, only one event took place; the Men’s Singles, which was won by Spencer Gore. Around 200 spectators paid one shilling each to watch the final.
Just five years later, in 1882, the Club’s main activity became lawn tennis and so in 1884, the All England Club (by this point the word “croquet” had been dropped from their name) decided to add two further events; the Ladies' Singles and Gentlemen's Doubles (Ladies' Doubles and Mixed Doubles were added in 1913).
By the early 1900s the Club had outgrown its home in Worple Road, Wimbledon, where it had been since its formation. A lot had changed since the first ever Lawn Tennis Championship in 1877 (in which the final attracted 200 spectators) and the old grounds were no longer able to cope with the huge crowds who flocked to the event each year.
And so, in 1920, the decision to move was taken. A site was chosen just a mile or so from the Worple Road site – and the major undertaking of designing and constructing the new Centre Court began. Well known architect Captain Stanley Peach was commissioned to design the new Centre Court. To convince the Club’s Committee, he built a huge scale model of Centre Court. His original blueprints for the Centre Court still exist (discovered recently in a basement storage area of the offices of Stanley Peach & Co).
A driving force throughout the project was Commander George Hillyard, secretary of the Club since 1907 and once a men’s doubles finalist. Hillyard collaborated with Peach on the ambitious design and his mission for the Club was clear:
‘‘Let us look to it that we construct and equip our ground that it will immediately be recognised as the finest, not only in England, but in the World”
COMMANDER GEORGE HILLYARD
The Championships, Wimbledon Today
Nowadays, The Championships, Wimbledon is acknowledged to be the World’s premier tennis tournament and a Long Term Plan was unveiled in 1993 by the All England Lawn Tennis Club, which will improve the quality of the event for spectators, players, officials and neighbours in years to come.
The first stage of the Plan was completed in time for the 1997 Championships and involved building the new No. 1 Court, a Broadcast Centre, two extra grass courts, and a tunnel under the hill to link Church Road and Somerset Road.
The second stage involved the removal of the old No. 1 Court complex in order to make way for the new Millennium Building to provide extensive facilities for the players, press, officials and Members, and also the extension of the West Stand of Centre Court, creating a further 728 seats.
The third stage is currently under way with the recent redevelopment of the turnstile area, the construction of the new Museum Building at Gate 3, a permanent 2,600 sq ft Wimbledon Shop, Club offices and Ticket Office, an increase in Centre Court capacity from 13800 to 15000, and a new restaurant and bars.
Rain has frequently interrupted play at The Championships and so this year, for the first time, a new retractable roof will be in use on Centre Court. During The Championships, this roof is to be kept primarily closed in an attempt to protect play from inclement. 2009 also sees an increase in the court’s capacity to 15,000 and the installation of new, wider padded seating for the comfort of the spectators.
Wimbledon Traditions
Over the years, Wimbledon has developed many unique traditions, including: strawberries and cream, royal patronage, a strict dress code for competitors, and ball boys and girls. However, one not so popular tradition of the rain stopping play should hopefully be avoided in 2009, with the installation of a retractable roof on Centre Court. This will come as a relief after the 2008 Men’s Final lasted 7 hours, ending in darkness and making it the longest Men’s Final in history.
The British are very proud of the tournament and such unique traditions help emphasise this fact but something we are no doubt less proud of is the fact that the Singles event hasn’t actually been won by a British man since Fred Perry in 1936 or a British woman since Virginia Wade in 1977.
Previous Wimbledon Winners
Ever since becoming world table-tennis champion as a 20-year-old in 1929 Fred Perry, the son a Labour MP, had set his sights on becoming as dominant on the larger stage. He had been playing the game for only seven years when in 1934, aged 25, he won the first of his three consecutive singles titles at Wimbledon.
His 1934 victory was against Crawford, the holder, in three sets in the final. The following year, he mastered the German, Baron Gottfried von Cramm, in the final in three sets. In 1936, Perry beat Don Budge in the semi-finals and in the final (the last singles Perry played in the Championships) he again beat von Cramm in straight sets.
There never was a more effectively forceful British player. At Wimbledon he took three successive titles and won 21 consecutive singles. The record stood until Björn Borg, arrived on the scene in the 1970s and Perry was the first to congratulate him.
- BJöRN BORG 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980
Never in the history of lawn tennis did any player accomplish so much and in so brief a time as the Swede, Björn Borg. He was more coolly dominating and ruthless at Wimbledon than any previous modern challenger, precociously successful in Paris and on clay courts, clinically efficient in the Davis Cup and entirely a sporting phenomenon. Only the US title was to escape his grasp: he lost in the final four times.
Having won the junior tournament at Wimbledon in 1972 aged 16, it was in 1976 at his fourth attempt that Borg wove the first major strands in his unique Wimbledon tapestry. He lost a set to no-one, his victims including Guillermo Vilas, the hard serving Roscoe Tanner in the semis and the touch genius Ilie Nastase in the final. It would not be until 1981 that he next lost at Wimbledon. The span was from 1st July 1975, when Ashe beat him in the quarter finals, to 4th July 1981 with McEnroe his victor in the final: 41 matches in a continuity of victory and five successive titles!
After the first Borg’s subsequent titles were more onerously gained. In 1977, he overcame the American Vitas Gerulaitis in a brilliant five set semi final. In the final he survived in a five-setter against Jimmy Connors. In 1978 Borg made an awkward
start in his opening match but proceeded dominantly to the final beating Connors again, this time quite easily. In 1979, the final also had the champion against the ropes, before Borg beat Tanner in five sets.
In 1980 Borg had his notable confrontation with McEnroe in the final. It was among the best ever played at that stage. Borg won the final set by 8-6 to be champion for the fifth time. In 1981, though McEnroe at last got his hands on the famous gold cup with a victory in four sets. For Borg it was virtually the end. Only 25, the years of intense effort had taken their toll. Later, in 1981, he suddenly retired from the mainstream.
Idolised by young spectators and awesomely admired by all, Borg’s legacy was immense. His example made the double fisted backhand and patience an orthodoxy.
His coolness under pressure, his speed about the court, his utter dependability from the back of the court through the use of heavy topspin, his fast reflexes on the volley, his formidable serve, his bloody-minded refusal to lose – all these attributes, honed to perfection by coach Lennart Bergelin – pointed the way forward. Björn Borg ranks as one of the giants of the game.
Born in Melbourne, Australia in 1965, Patrick Hart Cash first came into the tennis spotlight in the early 1980s, and in 1981, he was ranked the top junior tennis player in the world.
The following year, Cash won the junior titles at both Wimbledon and the US Open and the same year, he turned professional, going on to win his first top-level singles title in Melbourne. He soon established a reputation as a hard-fighting serve-and-volleyer and for wearing his trademark black-and-white checked headband and his cross earring.
In 1983, aged just 17, he became the youngest player ever to win a singles Davis Cup final and a year later he reached the men’s singles semi-finals at both Wimbledon and the US Open, losing to John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl respectively. He was also the runner-up in the Men’s Doubles competition at Wimbledon with McNamee and again the following year with Fitzgerald.
In 1986, Cash claimed a 3-2 victory over Swede, Mikael Pernfors, in the Davis Cup and just a year later came the crowning in moment of his career, his triumph at the 1987 Wimbledon Championship, beating World No.1, Ivan Lendl in straight sets. This victory made him one of only a handful of players to win junior Wimbledon and senior Wimbledon singles titles (others include Stefan Edberg and Roger Federer).
Pat Cash continued on the full-time circuit until his retirement in 1997, despite Achilles tendon, knee and back injuries. Since retiring, Cash now lives in London and has coached many top players, including Greg Rusedski and Mark Philippoussis. Also during his retirement, he has opened a number of tennis academies and for The 2009 Championships, Keith Prowse is delighted to offer the exclusive opportunity for our guests to play tennis with Pat Cash on the morning of their visit to The Championships at the Speakeasy venue; thereafter, Pat will join guests to discuss the order of play, his thoughts on the current players and sign autographs.
- ROGER FEDERER 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007
The career of Roger Federer is still unfinished. By the close of 2008, still only 27, the Swiss superstar has already achieved tennis immortality. His total of 13 Grand Slam victories among the men is second only to Pete Sampras’s 14. By reaching the final of ten consecutive Grand Slam championships and winning Wimbledon and the US Open back-to-back four times in a row, he set records that may never be equalled.
Until overtaken by Rafael Nadal in August 2008, Federer had been ranked number l in the world for 237 consecutive weeks. There was early evidence that Roger had exceptional talent: in 1998 he won the junior singles and doubles titles at Wimbledon (only two others have done that). He also beat 17 times champion Pete Sampras in the fourth round at Wimbledon in 2001, aged 19.
Two years later he joined Björn Borg, Pat Cash and Stefan Edberg as Wimbledon’s only junior champions who went on the win the men’s singles. His victories over Andy Roddick in the semi final and Mark Philippousis now placed him at the top of the game.
Between 2004 and 2007, the confidence factor lifted Federer to another level. His further Wimbledon final victims have been Andy Roddick (2004 and 2005) and Rafael Nadal (2006 and 2007). His five wins in a row equalled Björn Borg’s record in the 1980s and the Swede was present on Centre Court in the Royal Box to witness Federer’s feat in 2007. Even when his reign came to an end in 2008 at the
hands of an inspired Nadal, Federer produced a performance of heroic proportions as he came back from two sets down and saved two match points in the fourth-set tiebreak before going down 9 7 in the fifth set of a compelling battle full of glorious shot making.
Two months later, a fifth consecutive US Open triumph saved Federer’s year. A natural athlete, Federer’s speed of thought and movement, when allied to an abundant talent with the racket, give him options that others envy. Many consider that we have been witnessing the greatest striker of a tennis ball who ever lived. As with Sampras, however, there is one piece still missing; the French Open title on clay has eluded his grasp, losing three finals in a row to Rafael Nadal. Perhaps his two finest weapons are his serve and his forehand. Both are hit with easy grace; both are deadly. A strong right wrist allows him to apply fizzing topspin on the forehand when necessary to create sharp angles; it also produces heavy slice or topspin on the serve. Federer has reminded us all how beautiful this game can be.
British Tennis Players
As one of the four major tennis tournaments, and possibly the toughest, Wimbledon is the tournament that all players set out to win during their career. Winning a singles title at the Championships automatically assures that a player goes down in Wimbledon tennis history.
The first Wimbledon Men’s Singles champion was British player, Spencer Gore, who won the first title back in 1877 and for the next 40 years, British males dominated the title. This was probably due to that fact that it was predominantly British males who entered the Championships in its early years. However, between 1907 and 1912 this trend changed and Australian players, Norman Brookes and Arthur Wilding, kick-started the dominance of international male players. Since then, few British tennis players have earned the title Men’s Singles Champion.
Fred Perry was the last British Men’s Singles Champion, winning the title for the third and final time in 1936. This is something which has become a long-standing joke among the British media in the weeks preceding the Championship as over the years, many British players have tried and failed to win the title.
Virginia Wade was the last British tennis player to win Wimbledon, winning the Ladies Singles title in the tournament’s centenary year. Throughout her long and successful career she won three Grand Slam singles titles and four Grand Slam doubles titles but winning Wimbledon in 1977 was the pinnacle of her career
Since Wade, no British play has won the Championships but perhaps the player who has come closest to claiming the title in recent years is Tim Henman. Henman appeared in four semi finals of Wimbledon; however, he never managed to get into a final.
Andy Murray is currently ranked the highest British player. In 2006, Murray reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time and last year he was knocked out at the quarter finals stage by eventual champion, Rafael Nadal. Could he become Britain’s next Wimbledon Champion in 2009?
When Does The Tournament Take Place?
Every year, the tournament begins on the Monday which falls between 20 and 26 June and is scheduled to last 14 days. Traditionally, there is no play on the “Middle Sunday” as this is considered to be a rest day. This tradition has only been broken three times in the history of the Championships; in 1991, 1997 and 2004, when rain forced play.
The Grounds
All of the nineteen courts which are used for Wimbledon are made of rye grass and the two main courts, Centre Court and No. 1 Court, are usually only used for the two weeks of the Championships (although under exceptional circumstances, play can be extended into a third week). The other seventeen courts are used throughout the year for other events. Today, Wimbledon is the only Grand Slam event still played on grass courts.
Centre Court
The current Centre Court opened in 1922 when the Club moved from Worple Road to Church Road. It usually plays host to both the semi-finals and the finals of each of the main events, as well as many of the earlier matches. At the south end of the court is the Royal Box from which members of the Royal Family and other dignitaries are able to watch.
No.1 Court
The second most important court is No. 1 Court. The current court was built in 1997 with an increased capacity of 11,000
Ball boys and ball girls
Each year, ball boys and girls play an essential role in the smooth running of The Championships and since 1969 have been provided by local schools, having an average age of 15. Prospective candidates are nominated by their headteacher and must undergo and series of written and fitness tests before being selected
Wimbledon Colours and uniforms
Dark green and purple are the traditional colours of Wimbledon. Until 2005, Green clothing was worn by the chair umpire, linesmen, ball boys and ball girls but in 2006 a new navy blue and cream uniform designed by Ralph Lauren was introduced.
Trophies
The Men’s Singles champion receives a silver gilt cup. This trophy has been awarded since 1887 and bears the inscription: "The All England Lawn Tennis Club Single Handed Champion of the World." The Ladies' Singles champion receives a sterling silver salver commonly known as the "Venus Rosewater Dish". The salver is decorated with figures from mythology. Winners of the Men's Doubles, Ladies' Doubles, and Mixed Doubles events receive silver cups. The runner-up in each event receives an inscribed silver plate. The trophies are usually presented by the President of the All England Club, The Duke of Kent, and by his sister, Princess Alexandra, the Honourable Lady Ogilvy.
Hospitality at Wimbledon
Keith Prowse has been the official supplier of hospitality at Wimbledon since 1982. Our exclusive range of hospitality packages, including the award-winning Skyview Suites and Gatsby Club, allows you to perfectly match your corporate needs, whilst delivering a wonderful day at The Championships.
As part of our hospitality packages, we offer reserved Debenture Centre Court seats and No 1 Court seats, providing seating just yards from your heroes so you can enjoy every thundering serve, tense tie break and nail biting match point.
For further information about the hospitality packages we offer at Wimbledon, please click here.