Wimbledon is one of tennis' Grand Slams. It's the only tournament to be played on grass. It's probably one of the most famous due to the number of celebrities that appear each year to see the spectacle.
Its history is both fascinating and intriguing.
If you associate the word Wimbledon with tennis, you’re not alone — the grass courts of the English landmark are home to one of the sport’s most illustrious championships. However, writes The New York Times’ Ben Rothenberg, another sport used to reign supreme at Wimbledon: croquet.
In fact, Rothenberg writes, the proper name of the club where the championship is played each year is the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Croquet — not tennis — was the first sport to grace Wimbledon’s lawns and remained the only sport played there until the club incorporated "lawn tennis" into its name nine years after it was founded.
The reason for croquet’s early Wimbledon dominance was a sports craze that "surged in popularity in Victorian England," driven in part by the ability of women and men to wield their wickets equally on the green.
The sport was one of many lawn pastimes beloved by Victorians, notes the BBC: football, rugby, cricket and golf all came of age in England after the Industrial Revolution.
It’s hard to imagine Venus and Serena Williams turning in their rackets for mallets; but it could've happen: despite what Croquet World Online’s David Drazin calls :the collapse of the croquet establishment," the sport is still played at the club.
Players have to suffer a few indignities if they want to play the civilized sport at Wimbledon: Rothenberg writes that not only have they been kicked off of the club’s hallowed lawns but that their few off-site courts are converted to tennis courts for most of the year.
In 1876, lawn tennis, a game devised by Major Walter Clopton Wingfield a year or so earlier as an outdoor version of real tennis and originally given the name Sphairistikè. It was then added to the activities of the club.
In spring 1877, the club was renamed "The All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club" and signalled its change of name by instituting the first Lawn Tennis Championship.
A new code of laws, replacing the code administered by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), was drawn up for the event. Today's rules are similar except for details such as the height of the net and posts and the distance of the service line from the net.
The inaugural 1877 Wimbledon Championship started on 9 July 1877 and the Gentlemen's Singles was the only event held. 22 men paid a guinea to enter the tournament; which was to be held over five days. The rain delayed it four more days and thus, on 19 July 1877, the final was played.
Spencer Gore, an Old Harrovian rackets player, defeated William Marshall 6–1, 6–2 and 6–4 in 48 minutes. Gore was presented with the silver challenge cup, valued at 25 guineas and donated by the sports magazine, The Field; as well as a prize money of 12 guineas.
About 200 spectators paid one shilling each to watch the final. The fact tennis could be played with skill and enjoyment by both sexes led inevitably to the inclusion of women at Wimbledon; though the All England Club had several times politely turned down requests to include a ladies’ singles event before eventually capitulating in 1884.
However, the ladies’ own championships would not be allowed to commence until the men’s singles had been completed. Another “second-class” note was that their entrance fee of 10 shillings and sixpence was exactly half that charged to the men.
The first prize, a silver flower basket "value 20 guineas," attracted an entry of 13 including the sisters, Maud and Lilian Watson, the daughters of a Warwickshire vicar and it was the sisters who contested the final; the 19-year-old Maud Watson winning in three sets. Wimbledon’s first-ever women’s champion showed her victory was no fluke by winning again in 1885.
The lawns at the ground were arranged so that the principal court was in the middle with the others arranged around it; hence the title "Centre Court". The name was retained when the Club moved in 1922 to the present site in Church Road; although no longer a true description of its location.
In 1980, four new courts were brought into commission on the north side of the ground. This meant the Centre Court was once more correctly described. The opening of the new No. 1 Court in 1997 emphasised the description.
By 1882, activity at the club was almost exclusively confined to lawn tennis and that year the word "croquet" was dropped from the title. However, for sentimental reasons, it was restored in 1899.
In 1884, the club added the Ladies' Singles competition and the Gentlemen's Doubles was transferred from the Oxford University Lawn Tennis Club. Ladies' doubles and mixed doubles events were added in 1913. The first black player to compete at Wimbledon was Bertrand Milbourne Clark, an amateur from Jamaica, in 1924.
It is to William Renshaw that the title "founding father of tennis" truly belongs. His string of seven Wimbledon singles victories - six of them in straight years - sparked a massive rise in public interest in the sport.
Renshaw was the eldest of twins (by 15 minutes over his brother Ernest from a wealthy Cheltenham family and together they not only dominated the doubles version of the game but attracted a healthy following at Wimbledon.
A special stop was installed on the line which ran alongside the Worple Road grounds and crowds regularly exceeded 3,000 for the later stages of The Championships.
The attraction of the Renshaws was the fashion in which they revolutionised tennis, in effect, they created the modern game with the introduction of the hard serve; the smash and aggressive volleying.
After his six successive triumphs, Renshaw didn't defend in 1887 and was beaten in the last eight in 1888; only to bounce back and collect his record seventh Wimbledon the following year.
Until 1922, the reigning champion had to play only in the final, against whoever had won through to challenge them. As with the other three Major or Grand Slam events, Wimbledon was contested by top-ranked amateur players; professional players were prohibited from participating. This changed with the advent of the open era in 1968.
No British man won the singles event at Wimbledon between Fred Perry in 1936 and Andy Murray in 2013; while no British woman has won since Virginia Wade in 1977 although Annabel Croft and Laura Robson won the Girls' Championship in 1984 and 2008, respectively. The Championship was first televised in 1937.
Though formally called "The Championships, Wimbledon," depending on sources the event is also known as "The All England Lawn Tennis Championships," the "Wimbledon Championships" or usually just "Wimbledon." From 1912 to 1924, the tournament was recognised by the International Lawn Tennis Federation as the "World Grass Court Championships."
In the period of 1915–1918, no tournament was organised due to World War I. During World War II, the tournament was not held in the period 1940–1945. On 11 October 1940, one bomb hit a corner of the competitors' stand of the Centre Court.
The championships did go ahead in 1946 even though the damage meant that 1 200 seats were lost. The organisers were unable to repair the damaged section until 1947 and the Centre Court was fully restored and renovated for the 1949 edition.
In 1946 and 1947, Wimbledon was held before the French Championships (Roland Garros). It was thus the second Grand Slam tennis event of the year.
Wimbledon is widely considered the world's premier tennis tournament and the priority of the club is to maintain its leadership. To that end, a long-term plan was unveiled in 1993, intended to improve the quality of the event for spectators, players, officials and neighbours.
Stage one (1994–1997) of the plan was completed for the 1997 championships and involved building the new No. 1 Court in Aorangi Park, a broadcast centre, two extra grass courts and a tunnel under the hill linking Church Road and Somerset Road.
Stage two (1997–2009) involved the removal of the old No. 1 Court complex to make way for the new Millennium Building; providing extensive facilities for players, press, officials and members and the extension of the West Stand of the Centre Court with 728 extra seats.
Stage three (2000–2011) was completed with the construction of an entrance building, club staff housing, museum, bank and ticket office.
Fast forward to this year's edition and the longest quater-final took place. It lasted 5 hours and 15 minutes.
Novak Djokovic survived the longest quarter-final in Wimbledon history to beat Felix Auger-Aliassime in a five-set thriller; booking a mouth-watering last-four showdown with Jannik Sinner. Coco Gauff scripted her own history by reaching the semi-finals of all four Grand Slams with her win over Jessica Pegula.
Djokovic was hurt in the first set but the former champion played through the pain for the rest of a breathtaking 7-6 (12/10), 3-6, 6-3, 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (10/4) victory lasting five hours and 15 minutes in sweltering temperatures on Tuesday.
The indefatigable 39-year-old will meet world number one Sinner on Friday for a place in the final.
While Sinner beat German veteran Jan-Lennard Struff in straight sets, Djokovic had to dig deeper before subduing Canadian third seed Auger-Aliassime in one of the all-time gutsiest Wimbledon performances.
The question now is whether the Serb will have anything left in the tank to beat the defending champion.
When asked how he saw off Auger-Aliassime, Djokovic said: "With a racquet and a lot of heart. I have management of the nerves and the extreme tension you feel in these kinds of matches."
"Towards the end, it was really anyone’s game. What can I say? These are the kinds of moments that I still play tennis for, for sure. I was telling the kids to go to sleep. I’m glad they stayed because it was one of the best matches I was part of on this court in my career."
Bidding to win a record 25th Grand Slam title and equal Roger Federer’s record of eight Wimbledon crowns, Djokovic has won five of his 11 clashes with Sinner.
I find this history to be interesting. No one story can be dull and boring. All have interesting backgrounds. I find Wimbledon intriguing because you never quite know what will happen. It's anyone's game.