Wimbledon

General information

The Wimbledon tournament takes place in the UK. In two weeks (from the end of June to the beginning of July), the winners of competitions in 9 categories are revealed here: 5 categories for adults and 4 for juniors. 4 categories are provided for wheelchair users. The courts of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club are a traditional venue for athletes’ meetings.

The Grand Slam tournaments include 4 major competitions, and the Wimbledon tournament is one of them. All competitions are held on grass courts. About 25 million pounds sterling – such a prize fund is divided among the winners of the competition. The winners of the singles receive 2 million pounds sterling.

History and modernity

In 1868, the All England Croquet Club was founded. The club acquires its own courts, revises the rules of the games several times. The first tournament was held in 1877, where 22 athletes took part. Even then, the audience was cramped in the arena. Closer to 1920, the Club’s management decides to expand. From 1939 to 1945, the competitions were not held, as the lands intended for the court were used for other purposes. Since June 1945, the competition has resumed.

Today’s courts, of course, are different from those that were in the 20th century. In 2009, the sliding roof decorating the Central Court was completed. It allows you to hold matches even in rainy weather. A new court has also appeared, accommodating 4,000 spectators. The peculiarity is the deepening of the building 3.5 meters below ground level. The stands rise only one floor above the ground level. This allows you not to close the overview of local residents.
The old court No. 2, which proudly bore the name «Cemetery of Champions» (it was named so because it was here that the favorites of the competitions lost many times), was replaced by a new court No. 3.

Location

The territory of the club is 42 acres. This includes not only courts, but also car parking and other infrastructure. The tennis complex is decorated with several sculptures of famous British tennis players. On the south side there is the Doherty Memorial Gate, which in the last century was the main gate to the complex. Today it just has the status of a monument.

Records

Lawrence Docherty is the most decorated British tennis player in all categories. He has 5 tournament wins to his credit. Billie Jean King stood out from the women. At the age of 22 (in 1966) she became the winner of the Wimbledon singles tournament.
In 2010, a new world record was set. The match between athletes John Isner and Nicolas May lasted 11 hours and 5 minutes.