Wimbledon
Wimbledon is a prestigious annual tennis tournament held at the All England Lawn Tennis Club in London, England, known for being one of the oldest and most significant tennis events globally. Established in 1877, it uniquely features grass courts, maintaining a connection to its origins as a lawn tennis club. Over the years, Wimbledon has developed various traditions, including the requirement for players to wear all white, which was modified in 2022 to allow women to wear darker undershorts during menstruation. The tournament also serves as a cultural touchstone with its iconic food offerings, particularly strawberries and cream, and is often attended by members of the royal family, adding to its formal and traditional atmosphere.
Wimbledon has played a vital role in shaping tennis, with many techniques and rules originating from its matches. While it was initially an amateur-only tournament, it now welcomes professional players of all genders. Notably, the tournament was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and faced controversy in 2022 when it banned Russian and Belarusian athletes in response to geopolitical tensions, a decision later rescinded in 2023. As one of the last major tournaments held on grass, Wimbledon continues to attract significant attention and participation, embodying both the history and evolution of tennis.
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Wimbledon
The Wimbledon Championship is a famous tennis tournament hosted at Church Road in England. It was begun by the All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club in 1877 and has grown substantially since then. Unlike most other tennis Grand Slams, Wimbledon is played on carefully kept grass instead of on turf or artificial flooring. The tournament runners believe that this keeps the tournament in touch with its roots as a lawn tennis club.
The rules used in the Wimbledon Championships are extremely influential within the tennis community. Additionally, many common tennis moves were first debuted at Wimbledon. These include the lob shot and the overhand serve.
Wimbledon has numerous traditions that set it apart from other tennis tournaments. One of the best-known traditions has been that players wear all white while attending the games. However, this rule was somewhat amended for the first time when it was announced in late 2022 that women could now wear darker undershorts that were no longer than their shorts or skirts. This change came about following years of protestations about women having to wear white while menstruating. Other traditions have included eating strawberries and cream and the attendance of members of the royal family.
In 2020, Wimbledon was canceled for the first time since World War II due to public health concerns and recommended social distancing caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic. Then, in 2022, prompted by the Russian invasion of Ukraine that began in February 2022, Wimbledon banned Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing in the 2022 Wimbledon Championship. Both the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) criticized the ban, calling it unfair to the affected athletes. Additionally, several-high profile tennis players including Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal spoke out against the ban, also calling it unfair.
Background
Many games similar to tennis have historic roots. Games involving hitting balls with handmade racquets in courts have existed since the Middle Ages. Most of these games were played indoors in specialized rooms. However, games resembling modern tennis did not develop until the late nineteenth century. In England, people began to play an outdoor variant of the ancestors of tennis. It was similar to croquet, an already popular lawn game, but involved more physical exertion.
Lawn tennis quickly grew in popularity, and numerous lawn tennis clubs appeared throughout England. These clubs drafted their own rule sets for lawn tennis, each attempting to provide a standard set of rules by which the average person could play the popular game. The All England Croquet Club, located near Wimbledon station, quickly changed its name to The All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club.
In 1877, the All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club announced that it would be holding the first lawn tennis championships. The club intended to use the occasion as a fundraiser to pay for new equipment for its croquet fields. This became the first Wimbledon Championship, which would go on to become one of the most prestigious tennis tournaments in the world.
The first Wimbledon Championship cost one pound and one shilling to enter. The tournament was advertised as being open to all amateurs, but only accepted men. Twenty-two men registered for the tournament, and a crowd of just two hundred observers came to watch the games. Though these numbers are considered extremely small by modern tennis standards, they were considered impressive for the time.
Unlike modern tennis, the equipment used in the first Wimbledon Championship was often homemade. Rackets were carved from wood and tennis balls were hand-sewn. Despite this, the sport promoted by the competition proved to be so popular that the All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club changed its name to the All England Lawn Tennis Club.
Overview
The Wimbledon Championship is one of the largest and most exclusive tennis championships in the world. It has grown immensely throughout the decades since its original inception, and the rules used in the tournament have become one of the most influential tennis rule sets in the world.
The modern Wimbledon is open to participants from all genders. However, the original incarnation of the tournament allowed only men. Women were not allowed to participate in the Wimbledon until 1884, when Lottie Dodd became the youngest woman to ever win the title. Black Americans were first invited to the tournament in 1951, and the first Black American winner of Wimbledon occurred six years later.
Additionally, for the first ninety years of its existence, Wimbledon was an amateur-only competition. Professional athletes were not allowed to compete in the tournament. Despite this, most modern Wimbledon victors are professional tennis players.
Many tennis techniques originated in the Wimbledon Championship. In the early days of tennis, most participants remained close to the back line of the court. During the first championships, Spencer Gore ignored that custom by running forward and playing close to the net. This innovation led him to victory in the tournament. In response to that, another tennis player developed techniques to lob the ball over the head of players standing close to the net. In following years, William and Ernest Renshaw developed the powerful overhead serve now common to professional tennis.
The Wimbledon tournament is held annually at Church Road, where it has been held since 1922. Unlike many other tennis tournaments, Wimbledon is not played on clay, turf, or other artificial substances. Instead, it is played on a carefully groomed grass court. This tradition allows Wimbledon to stay tied to its roots as a lawn tennis club. It also causes the game to play differently than tennis games played on other substances. Wimbledon is one of the last Grand Slam tournaments to be played on a grass court.
Wimbledon has numerous traditions that are observed annually for the tournament. The traditional food served at the games is fresh strawberries and cream, which signifies the beginning of summer. More than nine thousand servings of strawberries and cream are served every day of the tournament.
Until the rule was changed in 2022 to enable women to wear darker undergarments as long as they were not visible beyond their shorts or skirts, players in the Wimbledon Championships were only allowed to wear white. Extremely strict, this rule banned cream or off-white articles of clothing. The tennis champion Roger Federer was once penalized in the tournament because the soles of his shoes were orange. Though guests and spectators are not required to follow this rule, it is traditional to attend the tournament dressed nicely.
Finally, the tournament is typically attended by the British monarchy. A special box is prepared for royalty, and it is common for the monarch or their relatives to come watch the games. If the monarch is in attendance, players are expected to bow or curtsey.
Bibliography
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“A Brief History of Wimbledon.” Smithsonian, 2007, www.smithsonianmag.com/history/a-brief-history-of-wimbledon-156205892/. 16 Aug. 2019.
“Facts and Figures on Frequently Asked Topics About the Championships.” Wimbledon, 2019, www.wimbledon.com/en‗GB/atoz/faq‗and‗facts‗and‗figures.html. 26 Aug. 2019.
“5 Wimbledon Traditions That Us Brits Love.” Sunlife, 2019, www.sunlife.co.uk/blogs-and-features/5-wimbledon-traditions-that-us-brits-love/. 26 Aug. 2019.
Fuller, Russell. “Wimbledon 2022: Russian & Belarussian Players Banned from Tournament.” BBC, 20 Apr. 2022, www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/61161016. Accessed 6 May 2022.
“The History of the Wimbledon Championships.” Historic-UK, www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/The-History-of-the-Wimbledon-Tennis-Championships/. 26 Aug. 2019.
“The History of Wimbledon Tennis.” Britain, 2019, www.britain-magazine.com/features/region/england/london/a-history-of-wimbledon-tennis/. 26 Aug. 2019.
“10 Fun Facts About Wimbledon.” CBC Kids, 2019, www.cbc.ca/kidscbc2/the-feed/10-fun-facts-about-wimbledon. 26 Aug. 2019.
“Wimbledon Fast Facts.” CNN, 17 July 2023, www.cnn.com/2013/06/04/world/europe/wimbledon-fast-facts/index.html. Accessed 23 Aug. 2023.