If you’re a tennis fan, then Wimbledon has a special place in your heart. It is one of those tournaments that always brings high-intensity games and more excitement for the fans. So, here are some incredible fun facts about the tournament.
1. Oldest Tennis tournament in the world
The first Wimbledon championship held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London in 1877. Wimbledon is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the others being the Australian Open, the French Open, and the US Open. The tournament had only one event – Men’s Singles for the first few years and then in 1884 Ladies’ Singles and Men’s Doubles events came. Followed by the Ladies’ Doubles and Mixed Doubles events in 1913.
2. Grass Court
Wimbledon is the only Grand Slam championship that is played on grass. Just a few weeks before the tournament begins, the grass is cut down to 8 mm in height. And every day during the competition, the ground staff repaint the lines and check the grass level to ensure it stays at 8 mm.
3. The love for the strawberries
28,000 kg of strawberries and 10,000 liters of cream are consumed during the Wimbledon championship every year. And these strawberries come from one farm in Kent. Every morning before dawn, the pickers arrive at the farm to pick over 100,000 strawberries for one day’s consumption.
4. Most titles
Czech superstar Martina Navratilova has won the most Women’s Singles titles in the Open era. She has clinched nine titles at Wimbledon. Her first title win came in 1978 and she claimed her last Wimbledon singles title 12 years later, beating Zina Garrison in straight sets.
5. Longest match
The longest match played in the history of Wimbledon lasted three days. In total, the match took 665 minutes (11 hours, 5 minutes) with a final score of 6–4, 3–6, 6–7(7–9), 7–6(7–3), 70–68 for a total of 183 games. John Isner eventually won the match. And, The 2010 Wimbledon first-round match between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut remains the longest tennis match played in history.
6. Strict dress code
Wimbledon has an all-white dress code that players are expected to strictly follow. This rule came in the 1800s when the colored clothing shows sweat more clearly, so the “tennis whites” became the norm. Also, the other accessories, which include – caps, headbands, bandanas, wristbands, and socks all required to follow the same all-white rule. In 2013, Wimbledon Roger Federer wore a pair of shoes with orange bottoms, then the match officials asked him to change it.
7. Partnership with Rolex
One of the best sponsor-partnerships in the history of sports. The partnership between watchmaker company Rolex and Wimbledon began in 1978 and since then it has become an iconic brand of the game. Rolex has played an important role in the championships. They not only support the Championships as the official timekeeper but also there are many tennis players who are the brand ambassador of it.
8. Fastest Serve
Taylor Dent holds the record for fastest men’s serve at Wimbledon of 148 mph in 2010. Australia’s Sam Groth came close and produced the second-fastest serve in Wimbledon history with a speed of 147 mph. And the record for the fastest women’s serve belongs to American Venus Williams (205 kph).
9. Ball Boys and Ball Girls
About 250 ball kids (BBGs) are selected for the tournament. They are separated into 42 teams of six. They have to go through a grueling process for selection. And followed by intensive training to keep the track of the balls on the court during the match.
10. Prize Money
| 2021 | Prize Money $ USD |
| Winner | $2,399,520 |
| Runner-up | $1,270,334 |
| Semi finals | $656,339 |
| Quarter finals | $423,445 |