A general introduction to the Wimbledon Championship

It’s late June and you know what to expect in London, the internationally renowned Wimbledon Championship is on the way. Wimbledon Championship is considered to be the oldest and most prestigious tennis tournament in the world. It is one of the four Grand Slam tournaments, the others being the Australian Open, the French Open and the US Open. Wimbledon is the only Grand Slam that is playing on grass court, which is the traditional court for tennis.

The inaugural Wimbledon Championship started in 1877 and was hosted by the then founded The All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club. Lawn Tennis back then was recently invented by Major Walter Clopton Wingfield as an outdoor version of real tennis. The rules of the first Wimbledon Championship were really similar to today’s tennis rules with minor differences in the height of the net and posts and the distance of the service line from the net. Following the inaugural championship in 1877, Wimbledon started to gain more popularity among tennis fans all around the world. The annual Wimbledon Championship is such an important event on the international tennis calendar. Wimbledon Championship was cancelled twice in the 20th century because of the First and Second World War. And in 2020, the championship was canceled because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Wimbledon Championship attracts people from all around the world because of its unique culture and tradition. There is a standard dress code for all the participants of the Wimbledon Championship, all players need to dress in white and the umpires will normally dress in green blazer. The royal patronage of the Wimbledon Championship is also very historical and special. The current patron of the Wimbledon Championship is Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge. The royal patron of the Wimbledon Championship will normally appear at the final of the Championship and watch the match alongside the spectators. Sometime even the Queen herself will appear at Centre Court and watch the match. All of the players competing at the Wimbledon Championship will need to bow to the Queen or the Prince of Wales if they are present. The Royal Family is the greatest and most popular symbol of Britain. The royal patronage of the Wimbledon Championship makes the event more popular and influential among non-British tennis fans. Other interesting tradition of Wimbledon includes the consumption of British strawberries alongside cream. Wimbledon has always been a major occasion for British strawberries to be consumed and also a great public advertisement to increase its popularity. Given the unique history and tradition behind the Wimbledon Championship, the prices for the tickets of Wimbledon are generally higher compared to the other three Grand Slams. It is truly the most renowned and respected championship in the tennis world.

The most successful male tennis player at Wimbledon is Rodger Federer. He has won the Wimbledon Championship eight times in his professional career. Federer is loved and respected by the British fans as they will cheer for Federer in his game if he is not competing against a British player. Between 1936 and 2013, no British man had won the Wimbledon Championship. This curse was finally broken by Andy Murray in 2013 when he won the Wimbledon Championship by defeating Federer in the final. The most successful female player in Wimbledon history is Martina Navratilova. She has won the Wimbledon Championship nine times with total dominance in the 1980s. The current prize money for the Wimbledon Championship is 2.35 million pounds for both the Gentlemen’s & Ladies’ Singles.

Overall Wimbledon is a great and unique representation of British sports. The championship has fascinated tennis fans from all around the world with its unique history and tradition. Many sports TV networks have also signed contracts with the Wimbledon Championship on streaming the matches in their home countries. This has further increased the popularity of the championship and British culture internationally.