Wimbledon tournament: history, description, traditions

Big tennis is one of the most aristocratic sports. This is largely facilitated by the Wimbledon tournament, which has a 130-year history and preserves its traditions to the present day. He is one of the four most prestigious championships of the Grand Slam, held by the All-England tennis and croquet club.

A bit of history

It all began in July 1877, when the first tennis competitions took place in the club's territory, in southwest London (Worple Road market town), in which 22 people took part. The tournament was held only for men in singles. The winner was to receive a prize of 35 guineas, paying only one for participating in the competition. Athletes competed for 4 days, and the final game gathered 200 spectators, which gave some revenue to the organizers. The first champion, who entered his name in the history of the tournament, was the local shopkeeper Spencer Gore.

Since 1884, the first foreign participants appeared on the court, and the program of the competition was supplemented by women's and doubles. The first winners were Mod Watson and the Renshaw brothers, who seized the lead for several years. In the 1913th annual tournament, the international federation was awarded the status of the World Championship (there were three in all) on the grass cover. Competitions were interrupted only in the years of the first and second world wars, becoming a truly massive spectacle.

Since 1922, the location of the tournament has changed, but it remained in the suburbs of London - Church Road, where the Central Court was rebuilt for 13.5 thousand people. The spectators were enticed by carrying out various lotteries. Interest in the competition increased in 1937, when the first broadcast was conducted. Representatives of the socialist countries joined the championship in the 50s. Since 1967, the Wimbledon tennis tournament has become open to professionals, gradually gaining the status of one of the main in the grid competitions.

Courts, cover

Today in the tennis complex 19 courts with grass cover. Central, with a number of spectators of 15 thousand people, and Court No. 1, introduced in 1928, only two weeks a year are used during the tournament. For the competitions, Court No. 2, which is called a cemetery for champions, is also involved, since players often fail on its platforms. Over the Central Court in 2009 built a sliding canopy in case of rain. Electricity does not apply, so games are only conducted during the daytime.

The grass is laid with rolls, it is specially grown in the county of Yorkshire. Soil composition is not disclosed. It is only known that the lawn consists of rye and fescue of two varieties, followed by 14 people led by an agronomist, whose position is extremely prestigious. The height of the grass cover is 8 mm, it is on this surface that tennis is played. The Wimbledon tournament was famous for the fact that its doves always flew pigeons, which at one time were destroyed with the help of hawks. Today, more humane methods are used.

List of participants

For two weeks, Wimbledon has become a place for competitions not only for professional players performing in five categories, but also for senior juniors and wheelchair users. Until 1924, the previous champions were only in the call round, but after the rules were changed, there was a seeding of the players and a draw by nationality, in which the winners had the same conditions as the other players. With the introduction in 1973 of the ATP rating, the national federations ceased to determine the composition of the participating teams.

The Wimbledon tournament differs from the others in that the sowing of 32 players does not depend on the official table of ranks, but on the results of performances of athletes on grass courts in recent years. Traditionally, for 3 weeks on the eve of Wimbledon, a series of "Masters" competitions are held to prepare for playing on the grass - the fastest kind of tennis with a low rebound of the ball.

Traditions

Competitions are held under the patronage of the royal family of Great Britain, therefore, they are distinguished by a certain conservatism and strict observance of traditions. The organizers do not depart from the date, which counts down from the 1st Monday of August. 6 weeks are calculated, so the 2016 tournament started on June 27. The arena and the adjacent territory are decorated in green and purple colors, as they are official for the competition. Athletes are required to appear in white suits with a small percentage of pastel shades. Judges refer to male participants strictly by name, to women - with the prefix "miss" or "Mrs.".

Traditional treats at the Wimbledon tournament are ten strawberry berries with cream. It is brought from English farms, where they grow specially for guests. Since the removal of the harvest and delivery is less than a day. For the period of competition, about 150 thousand servings are spent.

Interesting Facts

Winners-men receive a prize in the form of a goblet of gilded silver. Women are a silver tray. But the main thing is a monetary reward, which tends to increase every year. In 2016, the Wimbledon tournament raised the prize pool by 5%. As a result, it is equal to 28.1 million pounds sterling (about 41 million US dollars). Winners in singles - Englishman Andy Murray and American Serena Williams - received an amount of 2 million pounds. This equality has been counting since 2007, although many professionals consider this unfair, because men spend 2 times more playing time on the court.

Since 1977, a museum has been opened in the suburbs of London. The Wimbledon tournament appears in interesting exhibits and the three-dimensional matrix figure of John Makinroi, telling about an exciting game. The museum stores the dress of Maria Sharapova, the winner of the 2004 tournament. The institution works all year round, closing its doors during the tournament.

Among the record winners in the number of wins - tennis players who won the title 7 times: Steffi Graf, William Renshaw, Pete Sampras and Roger Federer. Martina Navratilova managed to do this 9 times, the last one - at the age of 46.