Wimbledon

Nothing feels more like summer truly arriving than the start of the build-up to Wimbledon. Tennis fans around the world eagerly await the start of this illustrious event in the sporting calendar, steeped in history and tradition, and we prepare ourselves to enjoy some exhilarating matches and memorable moments from London SW19.

Set amidst the pristine lawns of the All-England Club, this year’s tournament is again poised to showcase the talents of the world’s finest tennis players, with Wimbledon themselves promoting defending champions Novak Djokovic and Elena Rybakina as ‘The Champions to Beat.‘  

Although traditionally starting in June, this year the tournament begins on Monday July 3rd and is set to conclude on Sunday July 16th. This change has been made to allow players to adjust from clay to the grass playing surface and to provide more time between the start of the tournament and other major sporting events. All of the best action can once again be seen on BBC 1 and 2.

History

Wimbledon, the oldest tennis tournament in the world, has a rich history and began 146 years ago in 1877. From its humble beginnings, the tournament has evolved into one of the most iconic events in the sporting world.

The inaugural Wimbledon Championships took place on July 9th 1877 at what was then the All-England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club, which later became known as the All-England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.

The tournament was primarily a men’s singles event, attracting just 22 players who competed for the ‘Gentlemen’s Singles’ title. Spencer Gore emerged as the first champion, claiming victory in straight sets. Gore was presented with the silver challenge cup, valued at 25 guineas and donated by sports magazine ‘The Field’ along with prize money of 12 guineas. The estimated 200 spectators paid one guinea each to watch the final.

As its popularity grew, the first Ladies Singles event was introduced in 1884 and became the first major tennis tournament to include a women’s competition; a trailblazing precedent for gender equality in sport. By 1882, activity at the club was almost exclusively confined to lawn tennis and that year the word ‘croquet’ was dropped from the title. However, for sentimental reasons it was restored in 1899.

In 1922 the All-England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club moved from its original home in Worple Road to Church Road, Wimbledon, which has served as the current venue until now. Also, until this time the reigning champion had to play only in the final, against whoever had won through to challenge them. As with the other three Major or Grand Slam events, Wimbledon was contested by top-ranked amateur players; professional players were prohibited from participating. This changed in 1968, which is commonly referred to and regarded as the ‘open era’.

Wheelchair tennis was born in 1976, when American sportsman Brad Parks began experimenting with tennis as recreational therapy following a skiing accident that left him as a paraplegic. 

Although ladies and gentlemen’s wheelchair doubles has been played at Wimbledon since 2001, singles events had their official Wimbledon debut in 2016. 

The sport has flourished, and continues to grow in popularity with both players and spectators – Great Britain currently being one of the leading nations in the world for wheelchair tennis. 

British successes

Fred Perry won 3 consecutive Wimbledon titles from 1934-1936 and is also the only British player to win a career grand slam (US, Australian, French, Wimbledon). In the late 1940s, Perry was approached by Tibby Wegner, an Austrian footballer who had invented an anti-perspirant device worn around the wrist. Perry made a few changes to create the first sweatband. Wegner’s next idea was to produce a sports shirt which remains a popular fashion item to this day. 

Virginia Wade was the last British woman to win the ladies singles title (in 1977) adding to her previous Australian and US Open titles.

The long wait for the next British men’s singles winner since Perry in 1936 ended in 2013 when Andy Murray defeated Novak Djokovic in straight sets – Murray also went on to lift the title again three years later.

Britain’s Jonathan Marray won the Men’s Doubles title in 2012 with the help of his partner, the Dane Frederik Nielson.

2023

Much attention this year will be on Andy Murray in what many believe could turn out to be his final attempt at a third Wimbledon title, the former world number one’s career has been blighted by injuries in recent years and now plays with a metal hip. However, with a recent resurgence of form he has won two ATP tour events, in Surbiton and Nottingham. Unfortunately, this ten-match winning streak came to an end at Queen’s Club, thus ending his hopes of being seeded in the top 32 for Wimbledon and making a fairytale route to the later stages far more difficult.

The current British number 1, Cameron Norrie, provides a more realistic hope for the home fans. He was last year’s losing semi-finalist and current world ranked number 13 – so no doubt hoping to go one better this year and reach Sunday’s final.

Emma Raducanu will unfortunately miss this year’s tournament as she recovers from wrist and ankle operations. Being just 20 years old, the 2021 US Champion has time on her side and will surely be back challenging for major titles in the not-too-distant future. Meanwhile, it will be interesting to see how far the new British Number 1, Katie Boulter, can go, having recently won her first Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) title in Nottingham.

Early this year, the All-England Club announced that players from Russia and Belarus will be allowed to compete at Wimbledon in 2023 having previously been barred from entering 12 months ago due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Wimbledon officials justified their decision stating that ‘keeping the policy in place would be damaging to the tournament, which is the most prestigious in the sport and to tennis itself’.

The biggest beneficiaries of this move will be the women’s number two ranked Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, who won the Australian Open in January and Daniil Medvedev, the 2021 U.S. Open champion, who is currently third in the men’s rankings.

Without doubt, the red-hot favourite will be seven-time Wimbledon champion and current World Number 1 Novak Djokovic, who will be looking to secure his 24th Grand Slam title and move two ahead of the currently injured Rafael Nadal in the overall standings for Grand Slam titles. If the relentless Serbian can secure his eighth Wimbledon title on the final Sunday many pundits believe that this would ensure that he will be regarded as the GOAT (Greatest of All Time).