Wimbledon is commencing today. Here’s all you need to know about one of the Major Grand Slam Tournaments in Tennis.
What is Wimbledon?
Wimbledon Championship is one of the 4 major tennis tournaments in the world. Amongst the four, Wimbledon is the only Tennis tournament which is played on traditional grass courts unlike the other 3 which take place on hard and clay surfaces.
The matches are played at All England Lawn Tennis Club at Wimbledon each year.The event takes place over the course of 2 weeks. It usually begins in late June and early July. The tournament is kicking off on 2nd July this year and is likely to go on till 15th July 2018.
The tournament requires all the players to be dressed in suitable attire required for the tournament which is almost entirely white.
One of the key features of the tournaments is the absence of advertising in and around the court. This is very different from the other sporting events where there is heavy advertising.
History
The championship began on 9th June 1877 with an announcement in the leisure magazine that “The All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club, Wimbledon, propose to hold a lawn tennis meeting, open to all amateurs on Monday July 9th and following days”
A total of 22 men gave the £11 shilling entrance fee. Women however were not allowed on the stage. They were cautioned to bring their own rackets and shoes without heels which would be more suitable for the ground. However the balls were provided by the club gardener.
The conditions were not extraordinary. There was a temporary three- plan stand which offered seats for 30 people, the total attendance for the final was about 200 people, the rackets resembled snowshoes in shape and weight and the balls had hand-sewn flannel outer casings.
1884 was the first time women got a chance to participate. Women and Men doubles were introduced. There were only 13 women participants the first time. Maud Watson was the first champion.
Who are the Key players?
Roger Federer
Roger Federer is considered to be one of the best tennis players. He is also called the ‘King of Grass’ and has won the Wimbledon 8 times. He started playing the Wimbledon Championship in the year 2001 at just 19 years of age. He has been playing Wimbledon for 17 years now!
Rafael Nadal
Rafael is also called the ‘King of Clay’ He is done astoundingly well at Wimbledon as well as he has managed to establish himself as Roger’s rival in the true sense. He has managed to win 2 Wimbledon Titles even though he is playing at the same time as Roger Federer.
Serena Williams
Serena William has won the championship a total of 7 times and has even defeated her own sister, Venus at the game. Serena is looking for an 8th win as she is going to come back from a maternity leave.
Petra Kvitova
She has won Wimbledon twice in the year 2011 and 2014. She is considered a phenomenal player and is one of the top players playing at this year’s game.
Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic has won 3 Wimbledon titles and is one of the most outstanding players in the game. He is ranked 17 in the list of best men for singles and is all set to own the games this year!
Caroline Wozniacki
Caroline Wozniacki is ranked number 2 in the Womens singles. She has won 1 Wimbledon game in the year 2006.
