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Wimbledon History

Wimbledon is the most prestigious tennis tournament in the world.  For 13 days every summer, this tennis championship captivates the world.  Tennis-lovers around the globe watch the beloved event on their televisions, often waking in the wee hours of the morning, so as not to miss a match.  Annually, approximately 450,000 spectators attend the tournament, watching the most talented tennis players in the world battle for the match at Centre Court.  For a professional tennis player, winning Wimbledon is the pinnacle of any career.

Wimbledon has much humbler beginnings, however.  Lawn Tennis became a part of the All-England Croquet Club in 1875, when some land on Worple Road was set aside for playing lawn tennis.  Tennis was beginning to gather interest, as it offered more physically challenging and more exciting play than croquet.  The first Wimbledon event was a rather low-key fundraiser: the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club needed a new lawn roller and organized a tennis event to raise the money.  1877 was the year, the competition hosted only 22 male participants, and Spencer Gore was the winner.

The 1880’s was a time of growth and change for the fledgling tournament.  In 1884, women were allowed to compete for the first time, when the Ladies’ Singles and Men’s Doubles were introduced.  The game’s first superstars also emerged during this time.  Who were they?  They were the “Renshaw Rush”, British twins Ernest and William Renshaw, who separately and as doubles partners won 13 titles between 1881 and 1889.

By the turn of the century, Wimbledon was fully established. In 1905, the tournament gained global status when May Sutton of the United States, became the first non-European winner, claiming the Ladies’ Singles title.  Two years later, Norman Brookes of Australia became the first non-European Men’s Singles champion.  Brookes’ win marked a change for Wimbledon:  only two other British men would win the championship again – Arthur Gore, in 1908 and 1909, and Fred Perry, in 1934, 1935 and 1936.

The “Roaring 20s” brought another decade of excitement to Wimbledon.  Bill Tilden was the first American to win a Wimbledon tennis tournament. He had natural charisma that charmed the crowd and was often temperamental with referees and linesmen, yet he always maintained the polite decorum expected at Wimbledon.  Also in 1922, the Centre Court was introduced.  Despite its name, the original Centre Court isn’t in the center of play; it’s off to one side.  The championships are held at Centre Court every year, and during the rest of the year, it is strictly off-limits and cannot be used by members of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, visitors, tourists or anyone else, except grounds keepers.

Today, the tennis world congregates at Wimbledon to celebrate the sport and witness veteran players and up-and-coming tennis stars compete for the Wimbledon championship.  Wimbledon’s prestige as the world’s greatest tennis tournament remains unrivaled.