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At Wimbledon, the men’s singles champion is given a cup and the women’s singles champion is given a silver plate trophy. In 2023, Carlos Alcaraz became champion in men’s and Marketa Vondrousova in women’s singles.
Wimbledon, the oldest tennis tournament, is starting from today at the All England Club, London. This is the 137th edition of this 147-year-old Grand Slam tournament. The organization of Wimbledon was interrupted only during the Second World War and the Corona epidemic in 2020. It is also called the most prestigious of the four Grand Slams of tennis.
India’s number-1 tennis player Sumit Nagal will face Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic in the first round today at 8 pm.
This is the third Grand Slam of the year
There are 4 Grand Slams in tennis. All four are held annually, starting with the Australian Open in January. The French Open takes place in May and June. Wimbledon is held in July and US Open is held in August-September. The US Open is the last Grand Slam of the year.
All England Club organizes Wimbledon
Wimbledon is the only Grand Slam tournament not organized by a national tennis association. It is organized by All England Club. The club was established in 1868. Tennis was earlier called croquet. Six members together started the All England Tennis and Croquet Club and later they started the Wimbledon tournament in 1877.
Today it is a private club and has 500 members. The Princess of Wales is the owner of this club. At present Catherine Elizabeth Middleton is its owner.
Interesting facts related to Wimbledon further in the story…
Know here the tradition of Wimbledon, which remained unbroken…
- ball boys and ball girls The ball boys and girls here make this championship special. These are known as BBG. Since 2005 BBG works in a team of 6, of which 2 stay at the net, 4 stay in the corners. Their job is to pick up the ball and deliver it to the player. The championship saw BBG in the 1920s–30s. They are nominated by the school principal, although they all have to pass a written test based on the rules of tennis.
- players’ dress In the tournament, all players are allowed to play tennis wearing completely white clothes. There were protests on this during Wimbledon in 2022. Protesters said it was challenging for women to play tennis in white clothes during their periods. Therefore, the white dress code should be removed, but Wimbledon stuck to its rules. This time also the players will appear in white dress only.
- Strawberry-cream wine is served to the audience There is a tradition of serving British wine in addition to strawberries and cream to spectators at tournaments.
- event on grass courts Wimbledon began on grass courts in 1877. This competition has been taking place on grass courts for the last 146 years. This is the only one of the four Grand Slams, which is played on grass courts. The Australian Open and US Open are played on hard courts, while the French Open is played on clay courts.
Now some interesting facts of the tournament…
- respect for the royal family Earlier, while coming to the center court and leaving the court, players used to bow their heads in respect of the royal family sitting in the Royal Box. In 2003 His Royal Highness the Duke of Kent, President of the All England Club, decided to end this tradition. Now players bow their heads only when the Prince or Queen of Wales is present. This happened in 2010, when the Queen herself was present at Wimbledon on 24 June.
- players address Before 2009, female players were addressed as ‘Miss’ or ‘Mrs.’ on the scoreboard. Following this, married female players are addressed by their husband’s name.
- Trophy not changed, copy handed over to champion The trophy has been awarded to the winner of the men’s singles at Wimbledon since 1887. The male champion receives a cup 18.5 inches tall and 7.5 inches wide. The player who becomes champion is presented with a replica of the trophy, which bears the names of previous champions, while the original trophy is kept in the museum of the All England Club. The women’s singles champion is awarded a Sterling Silver Salver (a silver trophy made in the shape of a plate). There are statues of gods and goddesses on it. Players who win the doubles event are given a silver cup.
- Special hawk kept to drive away pigeons A hawk has been kept in Wimbledon to drive away pigeons. Rufus the Hawk is a Harris Hawk, a special hawk, bred by the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club to drive away pigeons. Hawk is considered an important member of the Wimbledon family. Rufus has been serving for the last 15 years. Before Rufus, Hamish Baz used to chase pigeons in Wimbledon.
