Wimbledon: 40+ Fascinating Facts and Stats
40+ Amazing Facts and Statistics About Wimbledon
Wimbledon or the All England Championships, is one of the most popular tennis tournaments in the world, watched by millions across the globe.
But do you know the length of the grass? Or who has the fastest serve in Wimbleson history?
Read 40+ facts and stats about Wimbledon and The All England Championships.
Garbine Muguruza celebrates her big win at Wimbledon!
Wimbledon is a big reason why tennis is so popular in the UK - and this famous tournament is watched by people across the world.
From interesting facts to historic stats, here are the most fascinating facts about Wimbledon. Some of them will really surprise you!
Interesting Facts About The All England Championships at Wimbledon
Wimbledon is held at the All-England Club in Wimbledon, London. It is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, with its inaugural edition held on 9 July 1877 on the lawns of the All-England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club
Wimbledon is just one of the four Grand Slam Tennis Tournaments. The other three are the Australian Open, French Open and United States Open.
Wimbledon is the only major tournament still played on grass. This particular feature demands specific skills and strategies from competitors, adding to the tournament's allure
The grass at Wimbledon is kept at 8mm
Wimbledon is known for its strict all-white dress code for players, which has been in place since the early 20th century. It’s also known for having royal patronage, with members of the British royal family often in attendance
Wimbledon keeps track of almost everything related to the tournament, including facts about the environment, food and drinks served, plants planted and more. You can find these astonishing statistics here
The Wimbledon tournament attracts a large number of spectators each year, with over 500,000 attendees during the two weeks of play
The Wimbledon tournament reaches over one billion people in 200 countries, making it one of the most-watched sporting events worldwide
The first cancellation of the Wimbledon tournament since WWII was in 2020 for the Covid-19 pandemic
The 2023 Wimbledon Championships, scheduled from 3 July 2023 to 16 July 2023, hold special significance as this is King Charles III’s first Wimbledon event, following the passing of the previous patron, Queen Elizabeth II, on 8 September 2022
Wimbledon Game-Related Facts
The Wimbledon tournament consists of five main events: Gentlemen's Singles, Ladies' Singles, Gentlemen's Doubles, Ladies' Doubles and Mixed Doubles.
The tournament has its own unique scoring system, with games being counted as 15, 30, 40, and game points, rather than the traditional 0, 15, 30, 40
The typical number of balls used is 54,250 and you can even buy the balls afterwards!
The winners of the Gentlemen's and Ladies' Singles events receive the iconic Wimbledon trophies, which are often referred to as the Challenge Cups
The Wimbledon trophies were first introduced in 1887 after the tournament opened its doors to professional players, with the Men’s Singles trophy inscribed as "The All-England Lawn Tennis Club Single-Handed Champion of the World”
The Gentlemen’s Singles trophy is a silver-gilt cup with a pineapple on top, symbolising prosperity and hospitality, while the Ladies’ Singles winner receives the Venus Rosewater Dish, a partly gilded sterling silver salver adorned with mythological figures and symbolic elements
The winners do not get to keep their trophies, as they remain on display at the All-England Club’s museum. Instead, they get a small replica of the trophy to take home with them, as well as prize money
The total prize money for the 2021 Wimbledon Championships was £35 million, with the singles champions receiving £1.7 million each, which has now been increased to £2.2 million each
A total of 19 different nations have produced Wimbledon singles champions in the Open Era, which began in 1968
The longest match in Wimbledon history took place in 2010, lasting 11 hours and five minutes between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut
The fastest serve recorded at Wimbledon was achieved by Taylor Dent in 2010, reaching a speed of 148 miles per hour (238 kilometres per hour)
The fastest serve from a woman of all time recorded at Wimbledon was achieved by Venus Williams in 2008, reaching a speed of 129 miles per hour
Rufus the Harris hawk was trained by a professional falconer to patrol the skies, and he has been keeping Wimbledon bird-free since 2000, scaring away pigeons. He has his own All-England Club ID Card and has been charming the audience with his own social media following
In tennis, the term "Grand Slam" refers to winning all four of the major singles tournaments in a single year: the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open. Only five players have accomplished this remarkable feat, including Don Budge in 1938, Maureen Connolly in 1953, Rod Laver in 1962 and 1969, Margaret Smith Court in 1970 and Steffi Graf in 1988
Rod Laver is the only player to have completed the Golden Slam twice, while Steffi Graf is the only person to have achieved a Golden Slam, winning all four major titles and an Olympic gold medal in the same calendar year
Wimbledon uses 54,250 Dunlop Slazenger Ultra Vis Hydroguard tennis balls each year, specially designed for grass courts, replaced every seven to nine games, stored in refrigerated containers and sold to spectators for charity, with the switch from white to yellow balls occurring in 1986
Martina Navratilova holds the record for the most Wimbledon trophies, winning nine in total, surpassing all other male and female players
Roger Federer, one of the greatest male tennis players of all-time, has achieved an impressive eight Wimbledon titles and holds the record for the longest winning streak at the tournament, with 40 consecutive victories from 2003 to 2008
Roger Federer used to share the record for most titles in Men’s Singles together with William Renshaw and Pete Sampras, each having won the event seven times. That changed when he won his eighth
Billie Jean King made a remarkable mark in Wimbledon history by winning her first doubles title at the age of 17 and later securing the top spot six times
Boris Becker matched Billie Jean King's feat by clinching the Men’s Singles title at the age of 17 in 1985, making him one of Wimbledon's youngest champions. Additionally, Billie Jean King became a trailblazer in women's tennis, advocating for equal pay and championing LGBTQIA+ rights
Historic Facts about Wimbledon
When Wimbledon first started, Dr Henty Jones made up some of the formal rules for the tournament which later became part of the general tennis protocol and remain to this day. This includes setting up six games per set, basing scoring on the clock face and allowing servers to have one fault
The final of the inaugural competition was watched by over 200 people who paid an entry fee of one pound, one shilling. They watched W. Spencer Gore win the tournament and win the grand prize of 25 guineas
The introduction of the retractable roof over Centre Court in 2009, minimises rain delays, ensuring matches continue promptly and keep spectators engaged.
2009 was also the year in which the Championships saw perhaps the greatest match in its long history.
Traditionally at Wimbledon, the "Men's" and "Women's" competitions are called the "Gentlemen's" and "Ladies'" competitions, while the junior events are known as the "Boys'" and "Girls'" competitions
Historically, female players were addressed as "Miss" or "Mrs" on scoreboards, and married players were identified by their husbands’ names on the Champions Board until 2019. However, the scoreboards now display both their first and last names
While the title "Mr" is not used for professional male players on scoreboards, it is still used for amateurs. However, chair umpires refer to players as "Mr" when they utilise the replay challenge
Prior to the Second World War, members of the Brigade of Guards and retired members of the Royal Artillery served as stewards at Wimbledon. Since 1946, the All-England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) has provided employment opportunities to servicemen returning from wartime service, starting with the Royal Navy and subsequently including the British Army in 1947, the Royal Air Force in 1949 and the London Fire Brigade in 1965, who now serve as service stewards during the Championships
Wimbledon Trivia Facts
Strawberries and cream are traditional Wimbledon food. It’s estimated that around 28,000kg of strawberries and 10,000 litres of cream are consumed during the tournament!
The qualifying matches for Wimbledon are held at the Bank of England Sports Ground in Roehampton, located 3.6 miles (5.8km) away from the All-England Club
Approximately 250 ball boys and girls (BBGs) are hired by Wimbledon organisers, with 700 young applicants aged 14-18 from nearby schools competing for these positions. After a rigorous selection process based on tests of coordination, throwing skills and endurance, the chosen BBGs undergo months of training to fulfil their role of keeping track of all those fast-moving tennis balls
Queuing for Wimbledon tickets has been a cherished tradition, with fans camping out for days and following specific guidelines, creating a festive atmosphere of camaraderie. However, online ticket purchasing has made this practice less common in recent years
Click here to read some incredible quotes about Wimbledon!
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