I previously expressed curiosity at the immense popularity of rolling a 1.68-inch-diameter ball along grass into a hole. And here we are about to talk about hitting a 2.63-inch-diameter ball back and forth on grass for a few hours. But if it’s popular, I’m on it. These are 10 things you should know to get the most out of Wimbledon.
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Let’s start with the basics. Wimbledon is one of four major professional tennis tournaments—also known as Grand Slam tournaments—in the world, with the others being the Australian Open, French Open, and US Open. The annual event, which takes place in June/July, lasts two weeks (not including qualifying) and is the only Grand Slam that is still played on grass.
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Wimbledon actually refers to the name of a neighborhood in Merton, the borough of London where the tournament takes place. If you’re geographically inclined, that’s about seven or eight miles southwest of the city center.
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Zooming in even further, the competition is held at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (also known as the All England Club), a private club with a membership numbering well under one thousand. As you might imagine, this type of club didn’t make a name for itself by promoting inclusivity.
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The first Wimbledon Championship took place in 1877, making it the oldest tennis tournament in the world. It was reserved for top-ranked amateurs until 1968, when many tournaments began to allow professionals to participate, ushering in the so-called Open Era.
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Not including wheelchair, junior, and senior competitions, Wimbledon consists of five main single-elimination events—gentlemen’s singles (128 competitors), ladies’ singles (128 competitors), gentlemen’s doubles (64 teams), ladies’ doubles (64 teams), and mixed doubles (48 teams).
Doing the math, to win a singles tournament, a player must win seven consecutive matches. Roger Federer has accomplished the feat eight times on the gentlemen’s side, and Martina Navratilova got it done nine times on the ladies’ side, making them the winningest participants in those respective competitions.
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When it comes to money, Wimbledon is a joint effort between the All England Club and the Lawn Tennis Association, the governing body of tennis in Great Britain. Thanks to broadcast rights, sponsorships, tickets, concessions, and merchandise, annual revenue is in the range of $360 million. (The US Open typically generates more due to greater seating capacity as well as selling sponsorship signs around the court, in stark contrast to Wimbledon’s minimalist approach.)
Total prize money approaches $50 million, and as of 2007, men and women are paid equally. As an example, the winners of the two singles competitions earn $2.5 million each.
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In addition to providing generous prize money and attracting significant media attention, Grand Slam tournaments also contribute a healthy number of points toward player rankings. In the case of Wimbledon, the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), which governs the men’s tour, awards two thousand points to the winner of the gentlemen’s singles competition. The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), which organizes the women’s tour, does the same for the winner of the ladies’ singles competition.
In 2022, as a consequence of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the All England Club prohibited the participation of Russian and Belarusian players. As the ATP and WTA considered this policy to be discriminatory, the decision was made to not award ranking points for the tournament.
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Aside from the whole grass situation, a few other things make Wimbledon unique (keeping in mind that unique doesn’t always mean inspiring). One is the requirement for players to wear all-white—or nearly all-white—clothing. Another is the use of gentlemen and ladies to refer to men and women, respectively (as above). When you’re in the United Kingdom, the royal family can be spotted from time to time, and Wimbledon is no exception. And finally, there’s everyone’s favorite snack—strawberries and cream.
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Speaking of the grass, it is one hundred percent perennial ryegrass that is maintained at a height of eight millimeters during the tournament.
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And finally, the rain. To avoid excessive rain delays, the two main courts—Centre Court and No. 1 Court—have been fitted with retractable roofs.
To really get in the Wimbledon spirit, I’ve made a significant effort to wear all white. For one reason or the other, those around me have recommended against it.
