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Wimbledon Championships

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Grand Slam
File:Wimbledon logo.png
Wimbledon logo

The Championships, Wimbledon, commonly refered as simply Wimbledon, is the oldest and, arguably, most prestigious event in the sport of tennis. Held every June or July, the tournament is the third Grand Slam event played each year, preceded by the Australian Open and the French Open, and followed by the U.S. Open. The tournament (which is the only one of the Grand Slam events played on grass courts) lasts for a fortnight, subject to extensions for rain. Separate tournaments are simultaneously held for Gentlemen's Singles, Ladies' Singles, Gentlemen's Doubles, Ladies' Doubles and Mixed Doubles. Youth tournaments - Boys' Singles, Girls' Singles, Boys' Doubles and Girls' Doubles - are also held. Additionally, special invitational tournaments are held: the 35 and over Gentlemen's Doubles, 45 and over Gentlemen's Doubles, 35 and over Ladies' Doubles and wheelchair doubles.

History

Sébastien Grosjean takes a shot on Court 18 during the 2004 championships

The Championships were first played under the control of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in 1877 at a ground near Worple Road, Wimbledon; the only event held was Gentlemen's Singles. In 1884, the All England Club added Ladies' Singles and Gentlemen's Doubles. Ladies' Doubles and Mixed Doubles were added in 1913. The Championships moved to their present location, at a ground near Church Road, in 1922. As with the other three Grand Slam events, Wimbledon was contested by top-ranked amateur players until the advent of the open era in tennis in 1968. Britons are very proud of the tournament but it is a source of national anguish and humour—no British man has won the singles event at Wimbledon since Fred Perry in 1936, and no British woman since Virginia Wade in 1977.

Events

There are five main events held at Wimbledon: Gentlemen's Singles, Ladies' Singles, Gentlemen's Doubles, Ladies' Doubles, and Mixed Doubles. In addition, four events are held for juniors: Boys' Singles, Girls' Singles, Boys' Doubles, and Girls' Doubles. (The Mixed Doubles event is not held at the junior level.) Finally, four invitational events are held: the 35 and over Gentlemen's Invitation Doubles, the 45 and over Gentlemen's Invitation Doubles, the 35 and over Ladies' Invitation Doubles, and the Wheelchair Gentlemen's Invitation Doubles.

Matches in the Gentlemen's Singles and Gentlemen's Doubles competitions are best-of-five sets; matches in all other events are best-of-three sets. Most events are single-elimination tournaments; in other words, a player who loses a single match is immediately eliminated from the tournament. However, the 35 and over Gentlemen's Invitation Doubles and the 35 and over Ladies' Invitation Doubles are both round-robin tournaments.

Each year, the tournament begins six weeks before the first Monday in August. It is held two weeks after the Queen's Club Championships, which is considered the major warm-up for Wimbledon for male players. Another important warm-up tournament for the men is the Gerry Weber Open, which is held in Halle, Germany at about the same time as the Queen's Club Championships. Wimbledon usually lasts for two weeks; the main events span both weeks, but the junior and invitational events are for the most part held during the second week. Traditionally, there is no play on the "Middle Sunday," which is considered a rest day. However, rain has forced play on the Middle Sunday thrice in Championships history: in 1991, 1997, and 2004. On each of these occasions, Wimbledon has staged a "People's Sunday", with unreserved seating and readily available, inexpensive tickets.

Players and seeding

A total of 128 players feature in each singles event, 64 pairs in each single-sex doubles event, and 48 pairs in Mixed Doubles. Players and doubles pairs are admitted to the main events on the basis of their international rankings. The Committee of Management and the Referee evaluate all applications for entry, and determine which players may be admitted to the tournament directly. The committee may admit a player without a high enough ranking as a "wild card." Usually, wild cards are players who have performed well during previous tournaments, or would stimulate public interest in Wimbledon by participating. The only wild card to win the Gentlemen's Singles Championship was Goran Ivanisevic (2001); no wild card has ever won the Ladies' Singles Title. Players and pairs who neither have high enough rankings nor receive wild cards may participate in a qualifying tournament held one week before Wimbledon at the Bank of England Sports Ground in Roehampton. The singles qualifying competitions are three-round events; the same-sex doubles competitions last for only one round. There is no qualifying tournament for Mixed Doubles. No qualifier has won either the Gentlemen's Singles or the Ladies' Singles tournaments; in 1977, John McEnroe went farther than any other qualifier in history by reaching the semifinals.

Players are admitted to the junior tournaments upon the recommendations of their national tennis associations, and, in the case of the singles events, on the basis of a qualifying competition. The Committee of Management determines which players may enter the four invitational events.

The Committee seeds the top players and pairs (thirty-two players in each main singles events, and sixteen pairs in each main doubles event) on the basis of their rankings. The defending champion is normally, but not always, seeded first. A majority of the entrants are unseeded. Only two unseeded players have ever won the Gentlemen's Singles Championship: Boris Becker in 1985 and Goran Ivanisevic in 2001. No unseeded player has captured the Ladies' Singles title; the lowest seeded female champion was Venus Williams, who won in 2005 as the fourteenth seed. Unseeded pairs have won the doubles titles on numerous occasions; the 2005 Gentlemen's Doubles champions were not only unseeded, but also (for the first time ever) qualifiers.

Women's singles seeds from 1960 through 2005:

  • 2005: 1. Lindsay Davenport 2. Maria Sharapova 3. Amelie Mauresmo 4. Serena Williams 5. Svetlana Kuznetsova 6. Elena Dementieva 7. Justine Henin-Hardenne 8. Nadia Petrova 9. Anastasia Myskina 10. Patty Schnyder 11. Vera Zvonareva 12. Mary Pierce 13. Elena Likhovtseva 14. Venus Williams 15. Kim Clijsters 16. Nathalie Dechy 17. Jelena Jankovic 18. Tatiana Golovin 19. Ana Ivanovic 20. Daniela Hantuchova 21. Francesca Schiavone 22. Sylvia Farina Elia 23. Ai Sugiyama 24. Shinobu Asagoe 25. Karolina Sprem 26. Flavia Pennetta 27. Nicole Vaidisova 28. Amy Frazier 29. Marion Bartoli 30. Dinara Safina 31. Anabel Medina Garrigues 32. Virginie Razzano
  • 2004: 1. Serena Williams 2. Anastasia Myskina 3. Venus Williams 4. Amelie Mauresmo 5. Lindsay Davenport 6. Elena Dementieva 7. Jennifer Capriati 8. Svetlana Kuznetsova 9. Paola Suarez 10. Nadia Petrova 11. Ai Sugiyama 12. Vera Zvonareva 13. Maria Sharapova 14. Sylvia Farina-Elia 15. Patty Schnyder 16. Anna Smashnova-Pistolesi 17. Chanda Rubin 18. Francesca Schiavone 19. Fabiola Zuluaga 20. Elena Bovina 21. Magdalena Maleeva 22. Conchita Martinez 23. Jelena Dokic 24. Mary Pierce 25. Nathalie Dechy 26. Lisa Raymond 27. Alicia Molik 28. Emilie Loit 29. Dinara Safina 30. Eleni Daniilidou 31. Amy Frazier 32. Megan Shaughnessy
  • 2003: 1. Serena Williams 2. Kim Clijsters 3. Justine Henin-Hardenne 4. Venus Williams 5. Lindsay Davenport 6. Amelie Mauresmo (withdrew before the tournament began) 7. Chanda Rubin 8. Jennifer Capriati 9. Daniela Hantuchova 10. Anastasia Myskina 11. Jelena Dokic 12. Magdalena Maleeva 13. Ai Sugiyama 14. Eleni Daniilidou 15. Elena Dementieva 16. Vera Zvonareva 17. Amanda Coetzer 18. Conchita Martinez 19. Meghan Shaughnessy 20. Patty Schnyder 21. Elena Bovina 22. Nathalie Dechy 23. Lisa Raymond 24. Magui Serna 25. Anna Pistolesi 26. Alexandra Stevenson 27. Sylvia Farina Elia 28. Laura Granville 29. Nadia Petrova 30. Denisa Chladkova 31. Elena Likhovtseva 32. Tamarine Tanasugarn 33. Svetlana Kuznetsova
  • 2002: 1. Venus Williams 2. Serena Williams 3. Jennifer Capriati 4. Monica Seles 5. Kim Clijsters 6. Justine Henin 7. Jelena Dokic 8. Sandrine Testud 9. Amelie Mauresmo 10. Silvia Farina Elia 11. Daniela Hantuchova 12. Elena Dementieva 13. Meghann Shaughnessy 14. Iroda Tulyaganova 15. Anna Smashnova 16. Lisa Raymond 17. Patty Schnyder 18. Anastasis Myskina 19. Magdalena Maleeva 20. Tamarine Tanasugarn 21. Tatiana Panova 22. Anne Kremer 23. Iva Majoli 24. Alexandra Stevenson 25. Nathalie Dechy 26. Daja Bedanova 27. Ai Sugiyama 28. Paola Suarez 29. Barbara Schett 30. Clarisa Fernandez 31. Nicole Pratt 32. Amanda Coetzer
  • 2001: 1. Martina Hingis 2. Venus Williams 3. Lindsay Davenport 4. Jennifer Capriati 5. Serena Williams 6. Amelie Mauresmo 7. Kim Clijsters 8. Justine Henin 9. Nathalie Tauziat 10. Elena Dementieva 11. Amanda Coetzer 12. Magdalena Maleeva 13. Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario 14. Jelena Dokic 15. Sandrine Testud 16. Silvia Farina Elia 17. Meghann Shaughnessy 18. Anke Huber 19. Conchita Martinez 20. Amy Frazier 21. Barbara Schett 22. Paola Suarez 23. Magui Serna 24. Henrieta Nagyova 25. Chanda Rubin 26. Anne Kremer 27. Angeles Montolio 28. Lisa Raymond 29. Elena Likhovtseva 30. Patty Schnyder 31. Tamarine Tanasugarn 32. Tatiana Panova
  • 2000: 1. Martina Hingis 2. Lindsay Davenport 3. Mary Pierce 4. Conchita Martinez 5. Venus Williams 6. Monica Seles 7. Nathalie Tauziat 8. Serena Williams 9. Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario 10. Sandrine Testud 11. Anke Huber 12. Amanda Coetzer 13. Amelie Mauresmo 14. Julie Halard-Decugis 15. Barbara Schett 16. Dominique Van Roost
  • 1999: 1. Martina Hingis 2. Steffi Graf 3. Lindsay Davenport 4. Monica Seles 5. Jana Novotna 6. Venus Williams 7. Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario 8. Nathalie Tauziat 9. Mary Pierce 10. Serena Williams (withdrew before the tournament began) 11. Julie Halard-Decugis 12. Amanda Coetzer 13. Sandrine Testud 14. Barbara Schett 15. Dominique Van Roost 16. Natasha Zvereva 17. Anna Kournikova
  • 1998: 1. Martina Hingis 2. Lindsay Davenport 3. Jana Novotna 4. Steffi Graf 5. Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario 6. Monica Seles 7. Venus Williams 8. Conchita Martinez 9. Amanda Coetzer 10. Irina Spirlea 11. Mary Pierce 12. Anna Kournikova (withdrew before the tournament began) 13. Patty Schnyder 14. Sandrine Testud 15. Dominique Van Roost 16. Nathalie Tauziat
  • 1997: 1. Martina Hingis 2. Monica Seles 3. Jana Novotna 4. Iva Majoli 5. Lindsay Davenport 6. Amanda Coetzer 7. Anke Huber 8. Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario 9. Mary Pierce 10. Conchita Martinez 11. Mary Jo Fernandez 12. Irina Spirlea 13. Kimberly Po 14. Brenda Schultz-McCarthy 15. Ruxandra Dragomir 16. Barbara Paulus
  • 1996: 1. Steffi Graf 2. Monica Seles 3. Conchita Martinez 4. Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario 5. Anke Huber 6. Jana Novotna 7. ???? 8. Lindsay Davenport 9. Mary Jo Fernandez 10. Magdalena Maleeva 11. Brenda Schultz-McCarthy 12. Kimiko Date 13. Mary Pierce 14. Amanda Coetzer 15. Irina Spirlea 16. Martina Hingis 17. Karina Habsudova
  • 1995: 1. Steffi Graf 2. Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario 3. Conchita Martinez 4. Jana Novotna 5. Mary Pierce 6. Kimiko Date 7. Lindsay Davenport 8. Gabriela Sabatini 9. Anke Huber 10. Natasha Zvereva 11. Iva Majoli 12. Amy Frazier 13. Mary Jo Fernandez 14. Naoko Sawamatsu 15. Brenda Schultz-McCarthy 16. Helena Sukova
  • 1994: 1. Steffi Graf 2. Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario 3. Conchita Martinez 4. Martina Navratilova 5. Jana Novotna 6. Kimiko Date 7. ???? 8. Natasha Zvereva 9. Lindsay Davenport 10. Gabriela Sabatini 11. Mary Joe Fernandez 12. Anke Huber 13. Zina Garrison-Jackson 14. Amanda Coetzer 15. Sabine Hack 16. Magdalena Maleeva 17. Helena Sukova
  • 1993: 1. Steffi Graf 2. Martina Navratilova 3.Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario 4. Gabriela Sabatini 5. Mary Joe Fernandez 6. Conchita Martinez 7. Jennifer Capriati 8. Jana Novotna 9. Anke Huber 10. Magdalena Maleeva 11. Manuela Maleeva-Fragniere 12. Katerina Maleeva 13. Mary Pierce (withdrew before the tournament began) 14. Amanda Coetzer 15. Helena Sukova 16. Nathalie Tauziat
  • 1992: 1. Monica Seles 2. Steffi Graf 3. Gabriela Sabatini 4. Martina Navratilova 5. Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario 6. Jennifer Capriati 7. Mary Jo Fernandez 8. Conchita Martinez 9. Manuela Maleeva-Fragniere 10. Anke Huber 11. Jana Novotna 12. Katerina Maleeva 13. Zina Garrison-Jackson 14. Nathalie Tauziat 15. Kimiko Date 16. Judith Wiesner
  • 1991: 1. Steffi Graf 2. Gabriela Sabatini 3. Martina Navratilova 4. Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario 5. Mary Jo Fernandez 6. Jana Novotna 7. Zina Garrison 8. Katerina Maleeva 9. Jennifer Capriati 10. Helena Sukova 11. Nathalie Tauziat 12. Natasha Zvereva 13. Anke Huber 14. Amy Frazier 15. Sandra Cecchini 16. Judith Wiesner
  • 1990: 1. Steffi Graf 2. Martina Navratilova 3. Monica Seles 4. Gabriela Sabatini 5. Zina Garrison 6. Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario 7. Katerina Maleeva 8. Manuela Maleeva 9. ???? 10. Helena Sukova 11. Natalia Zvereva 12. Jennifer Capriati 13. Jana Novotna 14. Judith Wiesner 15. Rosalyn Fairbank 16. Barbara Paulus
  • 1989: 1. Steffi Graf 2. Martina Navratilova 3. Gabriela Sabatini 4. Chris Evert 5. Zina Garrison 6. Helena Sukova 7. Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario 8. Pam Shriver 9. Natalia Zvereva 10. Jana Novotna 11. Monica Seles 12. Mary Joe Fernandez 13. Helen Kelesi 14. Hana Mandlikova 15. Lori McNeil 16. Susan Sloane
  • 1988: 1. Steffi Graf 2. Martina Navratilova 3. Pam Shriver 4. Chris Evert 5. Gabriela Sabatini 6. Helena Sukova 7. Manuela Maleeva 8. Natalia Zvereva 9. Hana Mandlikova 10. Lori McNeil 11. Claudia Kohde-Kilsch (withdrew before the tournament began) 12. Zina Garrison 13. Larisa Savchenko 14. Katerina Maleeva 15. Sylvia Hanika 16. Mary Joe Fernandez
  • 1987: 1. Martina Navratilova 2. Steffi Graf 3. Chris Evert 4. Helena Sukova 5. Pam Shriver 6. Gabriela Sabatini 7. Manuela Maleeva 8. Claudia Kohde-Kilsch 9. Bettina Bunge 10. Lori McNeil 11. Catarina Lindqvist 12. Wendy Turnbull 13. Barbara Potter 14. Katerina Maleeva 15. Raffaella Reggi 16. Sylvia Hanika
  • 1986: 1. Martina Navratilova 2. Chris Evert Lloyd 3. Hana Mandlikova 4. Claudia Kohde-Kilsch 5. Pam Shriver 6. Kathy Rinaldi 7. Helena Sukova 8. Manuela Maleeva 9. Zina Garrison 10. Gabriela Sabatini 11. Carling Bassett 12. Stephanie Rehe 13. Barbara Potter (withdrew before the tournament began) 14. Wendy Turnbull 15. Catarina Lindqvist 16. Kathy Jordan
  • 1985: Co-1. Chris Evert Co-1. Martina Navratilova 3. Hana Mandlikova 4. Manuela Maleeva 5. Pam Shriver 6. Claudia Kohde-Kilsch 7. Helena Sukova 8. Zina Garrison 9. Bonnie Gadusek 10. Kathy Jordan 11. Steffi Graf 12. Catarina Lindqvist 13. Carling Bassett 14. Wendy Turnbull 15. Gabriela Sabatini 16. Kathy Rinaldi
  • 1984: 1. Martina Navratilova 2. Chris Evert Lloyd 3. Hana Mandlikova 4. Pam Shriver 5. Zina Garrison 6. Kathy Jordan 7. Manuela Maleeva 8. Kathy Horvath 9. Wendy Turnbull 10. Jo Durie 11. Lisa Bonder 12. Claudia Kohde-Kilsch 13. Barbara Potter 14. Helena Sukova 15. Andrea Temesvari 16. Carling Bassett
  • 1983: 1. Martina Navratilova 2. Chris Evert Lloyd 3. Andrea Jaeger 4. Tracy Austin 5. Pam Shriver 6. Bettina Bunge 7. Wendy Turnbull 8. Hana Mandlikova 9. Sylvia Hanika 10. Billie Jean King 11. Barbara Potter 12. Virginia Ruzici 13. Jo Durie 14. Andrea Temesvari 15. Kathy Rinaldi 16. Claudia Kohde-Kilsch
  • 1982: 1. Martina Navratilova 2. Chris Evert Lloyd 3. Tracy Austin 4. Andrea Jaeger 5. Hana Mandlikova 6. Wendy Turnbull 7. Pam Shriver 8. Mima Jausovec 9. Sylvia Hanika 10. Barbara Potter 11. Bettina Bunge 12. Billie Jean King 13. Anne Smith 14. Andrea Leand 15. Virginia Ruzici 16. Evonne Cawley
  • 1981: 1. Chris Evert Lloyd 2. Hana Mandlikova 3. Tracy Austin 4. Martina Navratilova 5. Andrea Jaeger 6. Wendy Turnbull 7. Pam Shriver 8. Virginia Ruzici 9. Sylvia Hanika 10. Mima Jausovec 11. Diane Fromholtz 12. Kathy Jordan 13. Bettina Bunge 14. Barbara Potter 15. Regina Marsikova 16. Joanne Russell
  • 1980: 1. Martina Navratilova 2. Tracy Austin 3. Chris Evert Lloyd 4. Evonne Goolagong 5. Billie Jean King 6. Wendy Turnbull 7. Virginia Wade 8. Diane Fromholtz 9. Hana Mandlikova 10. Kathy Jordan 11. Greer Stevens 12. Virginia Ruzici 13. Sue Barker 14. Andrea Jaeger 15. Regina Marsikova 16. Sylvia Hanika
  • 1979: 1. Martina Navratilova 2. Chris Evert Lloyd 3. Evonne Goolagong 4. Tracy Austin 5. Virginia Wade 6. Diane Fromholtz 7. Billie Jean King 8. Wendy Turnbull 9. Kerry Reid 10. ???? 11. Greer Stevens 12. Virginia Ruzici 13. Regina Marsikova 14. Kathy Jordan 15. Betty Stove 16. Pam Shriver
  • 1978: 1. Chris Evert 2. Martina Navratilova 3. Evonne Goolagong 4. Virginia Wade 5. Billie Jean King 6. Betty Stove 7. Wendy Turnbull 8. Diane Fromholtz 9. Tracy Austin 10. Kerry Reid 11. Marise Kruger 12. Mima Jausovec 13. Virginia Ruzici 14. Sue Barker 15. Regina Marsikova 16. Marita Redondo
  • 1977: 1. Chris Evert 2. Martina Navratilova 3. Virginia Wade 4. Sue Barker 5. Billie Jean King 6. Rosie Casals 7. Betty Stove 8. Kerry Reid 9. ???? 10. Mima Jausovec 11. Francoise Durr 12. Kathy May
  • 1976: 1. Chris Evert 2. Evonne Cawley 3. Virginia Wade 4. Martina Navratilova 5. Olga Morozova 6. Rosie Casals 7. Sue Barker 8. Kerry Reid
  • 1975: 1. Chris Evert 2. Martina Navratilova 3. Billie Jean King 4. Evonne Cawley 5. Margaret Court 6. Virginia Wade 7. Olga Morozova 8. Kerry Reid
  • 1974: 1. Billie Jean King 2. Chris Evert 3. Evonne Goolagong 4. Rosie Casals 5. Virginia Wade 6. Kerry Melville 7. Nancy Gunter (withdrew before the tournament began) 8. Olga Morozova
  • 1973: 1. Margaret Court 2. Billie Jean King 3. Evonne Goolagong 4. Chris Evert 5. Rosie Casals 6. Virginia Wade 7. Kerry Melville 8. Olga Morozova
  • 1972: 1. Evonne Goolagong 2. Billie Jean King 3. Nancy Gunter 4. Chris Evert 5. Kerry Melville 6. Rosie Casals 7. Virginia Wade 8. Francoise Durr
  • 1971: 1. Margaret Court 2. Billie Jean King 3. Evonne Goolagong 4. Rosie Casals 5. Virginia Wade 6. Nancy Gunter 7. Francoise Durr 8. Helga Mastoff
  • 1970: 1. Margaret Court 2. Billie Jean King 3. Virginia Wade 4. Kerry Melville 5. Rosie Casals 6. Julie Heldman 7. Karen Krantzcke 8. Helga Niessen
  • 1969: 1. Margaret Court 2. Billie Jean King 3. Virginia Wade 4. Ann Jones 5. Nancy Richey 6. Kerry Melville 7. Julie Heldman 8. Judy Tegart
  • 1968: 1. Billie Jean King 2. Margaret Court 3. Nancy Richey 4. Ann Jones 5. Virginia Wade 6. Maria Bueno 7. Judy Dalton 8. Lesley Bowrey
  • 1967: 1. Billie Jean King 2. Maria Bueno 3. Ann Jones 4. Francoise Durr 5. Nancy Richey 6. Lesley Turner 7. Annette Van Zyl 8. Virginia Wade
  • 1966: 1. Margaret Smith 2. Maria Bueno 3. Ann Jones 4. Billie Jean King 5. Nancy Richey 6. Annette Van Zyl 7. Francoise Durr 8. Norma Baylon
  • 1965: 1. Maria Bueno 2. Margaret Smith 3. Lesley Turner 4. Nancy Richey 5. Billie Jean Moffitt 6. Carole Graebner 7. Annette Van Zyl (withdrew before the tournament started) 8. Francoise Durr
  • 1964: 1. Margaret Smith 2. Maria Bueno 3. Billie Jean Moffitt 4. Lesley Turner 5. Nancy Richey 6. Ann Jones 7. Jan Lehane 8. Robyn Ebbern
  • 1963: 1. Margaret Smith 2. Lesley Turner 3. Ann Jones 4. Darlene Hard 5. Jan Lehane 6. Vera Sukova 7. Maria Bueno 8. Renee Schuurman
  • 1962: 1. Margaret Smith 2. Darlene Hard 3. Maria Bueno 4. Renee Schuurman 5. Ann Haydon 6. Angela Mortimer 7. Lesley Turner 8. Karen Susman
  • 1961: 1. Sandra Reynolds 2. Margaret Smith 3. Ann Haydon 4. Lesley Turner 5. Yola Ramirez 6. Christine Truman 7. Angela Mortimer 8. Karen Hantze
  • 1960: 1. Maria Bueno 2. Darlene Hard 3. Christine Truman 4. Ann Haydon 5. Angela Mortiner 6. Suzy Kormoczy 7. Jan Lehane 8. Sandra Reynolds

Grounds

The order of play for all courts is displayed on boards around the grounds

The nineteen courts used for Wimbledon are all composed purely of rye grass. The speed and the low bounce of grass courts favours serve and volley players. Serve and volleyers such as Rod Laver, John McEnroe, Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg, and Pete Sampras have all won the Championships. However, baseliners such as Björn Borg have also performed very well, as have all-court players like Roger Federer. Among women, the serve and volley strategy is less common; one of the few female serve and volleyers, Martina Navrátilová, won Wimbledon on a record nine occasions.

The main show courts, Centre Court and No. 1 Court, are used only for two weeks a year, during the Championships. The remaining seventeen courts, however, are regularly used for other events hosted by the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Wimbledon is the only Grand Slam event played on grass courts. At one time, all of the other Grand Slam events were played on grass. The French Open abandoned grass for its current red clay in 1928, while the U.S. and Australian Opens stayed with grass decades longer. The U.S. Open abandoned grass for a synthetic clay surface in 1975, and changed again to a hard surface with its 1978 move to its current venue. The Australian Open abandoned grass for a different type of hard surface in 1988.

The main court, Centre Court, was opened in 1922 when the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club moved from Worple Road to Church Road. Due to possibility of rain during Wimbledon, a retractable roof is planned for the court; it is expected to be completed in 2009. The court has a capacity of almost 14,000; at its south end is the Royal Box, from which members of the Royal Family and other dignitaries watch matches. Centre Court usually hosts the finals and semifinals of the main events, as well as many matches in the earlier rounds involving top-seeded players.

The second most important court is No. 1 Court. The court was constructed in 1997 to replace the old No. 1 Court, which was adjacent to Centre Court, but was demolished because its capacity for spectators was too low. The original No. 1 Court was said to have a unique, more intimate atmosphere, and was a favourite of many players. The new No. 1 Court has a capacity of approximately 11,000. The third-largest court, No. 2 Court, has been dubbed the "Graveyard of Champions" due to its reputation as the court on which many seeded players have been eliminated during the early rounds. Famous players who have lost on the Graveyard during early round play include John McEnroe, Pete Sampras, and Serena Williams. The court has a capacity of about 3,000.

At the northern end of the grounds is a giant television screen on which important matches are broadcast. Fans watch from an area of grass officially known as Aorangi Park, but more commonly called Henman Hill. The "hill" takes its name from local favourite Tim Henman, whom many fans hope will become the first British man to win the tournament since Fred Perry did so in 1936. Due to Tim Henman's early exit and British newcomer Andy Murray's relative success in the 2005 Championship, the hill may be renamed as Murray Mound, Mount Murray, or Murray Field (after the Scottish rugby stadium).

Traditions

Court 10 - on the outside courts there is no reserved seating
Evening on the first Friday of the 2004 championships

Dark green and purple are the traditional Wimbledon colours. Green apparel is worn by the chair umpire, linesmen, ball boys, and ball girls. The All England Club requires players to wear "predominantly white" clothing during matches. No other Grand Slam tournament has such a strict dress code for players. During matches, female players are always referred to with the title "Miss" or "Mrs". (Formerly, married female players were referred to by their husband's names: for example, Chris Evert-Lloyd appeared on scoreboards as "Mrs. J. M. Lloyd" during her marriage to John M. Lloyd. However, this custom has been abandoned.) On the other hand, the title "Mr" is never used for male players.

Previously, players bowed or curtsied to members of the Royal Family seated in the Royal Box upon entering or leaving Centre Court. In 2003, however, the President of the All England Club, HRH The Duke of Kent, decided to discontinue the tradition. Now, players are required to bow or curtsy only if the Queen or the Prince of Wales is present.

For the spectators, strawberries and cream is the traditional snack at Wimbledon. Approximately 28,000 kilograms of strawberries and 7,000 litres of cream are sold each year during the Championships.

Since 1992 Radio Wimbledon has broadcast commentary, speech and music from 7am to 10pm daily throughout the championship. It can be heard within a four-mile radius on 87.7 FM and also online.

Trophies and prize money

The Gentlemen's Singles champion receives a silver gilt cup 18.5 inches (about 47 cm) in height and 7.5 inches (about 19 cm) in diameter. The trophy has been awarded since 1887. It 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," or simply the "Rosewater Dish." The salver, which is 18.75 inches (about 48 cm) in diameter, is decorated with figures from mythology. The winners of the Gentlemen'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, HRH The Duke of Kent, and by his wife, HRH The Duchess of Kent.

At Wimbledon, more prize money is awarded in the Gentlemen's events than in the Ladies' events. The French Open also offers higher prize money for men, but the Australian Open and the U.S. Open provide parity. The sums awarded to the winners of each of the main events in 2005 are as follows (the amounts shown for the doubles events are per pair):

  • Gentlemen's Singles: £630,000
  • Ladies' Singles: £600,000
  • Gentlemen's Doubles: £218,500
  • Ladies' Doubles: £203,250
  • Mixed Doubles: £90,000

Champions

See: List of Wimbledon champions


Records

Record Player Titles
Winner of most Gentlemen's Singles Championships William Renshaw 7
  Pete Sampras 7
Winner of most Ladies' Singles Championships Martina Navrátilová 9
Winner of most Gentlemen's Doubles Championships Todd Woodbridge 9
Winner of most Ladies' Doubles Championships Elizabeth Ryan 12
Winner of most Mixed Doubles Championships Elizabeth Ryan 7
Winner of most Championships (total) Billie Jean King 20
  Martina Navrátilová 20
Official websites
General Wimbledon information
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