Why Wimbledon is such a huge deal

Ask a tennis enthusiast about the game and they will tell you that watching Wimbledon every year amounts to one of life’s most thrilling moments. And why wouldn’t it be? After all, the Wimbledon championship is the oldest and most revered tennis tournament in the world. Here’s what makes it the most exciting event of tennis.

Wimbledon is a 137-year-old celebrated event

One of the most coveted Grand Slams of the tennis calendar, the tournament gets its name from Wimbledon, a suburb of London where it has been held since 1877. The championship is preceded by the Australian Open, the French Open and the US open. Moreover, Wimbledon is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament played on grass—something that gave the game its original name, lawn tennis.

The tournament boasts of some interesting trivia

The tournament lasts for two weeks, from the end of June every year, and is attended by as many as 5,00,000 people. The first woman to play at the tournament sported a full-length dress. On the other hand, men played the game in full-length pants until the year 1946. Today, the tournament has strict dress codes, with players being allowed to wear only all-white.

The Championship has given us some of the greatest tennis stars of all time

Martina Navratilova won 18 Grand Slam Singles titles and won a record 9 Wimbledon Singles titles. Boris Becker was 17 when he first won his Wimbledon title in 1985. He then won 3 Singles titles. Pete Sampras won 7 Wimbledon Singles titles, which is a record he shares with Roger Federer.

Steffi Graf has won a staggering 7 Wimbledon Singles titles and only missed out on the title in 1990 and 1994. Serena Williams won 5 Wimbledon Singles titles and is ranked No. 1 in Women’s Singles at the moment.

The tournament has an all-white dress code

The dress code is rather strict, with all the tennis players having to wear all-white ensembles—something that has been the oldest tradition at Wimbledon. No dark colours, nothing bold and no fluorescent hues; every player ought to wear everything white.

Wimbledon serves strawberries and cream as its staple food

Spectators and players at the tournament are offered strawberries and cream. Till date, this remains the quintessential dish at the tournament, so much so that 28,000 kg of strawberries are eaten at the tournament every year. It is said that the strawberries served in baskets are an essential part of the old-fashioned Englishness that surrounds Wimbledon.

The ball boys and girls are an imperative part of the Championship

At the tournament, ball boys and girls are known as BBGs—they play a crucial role in the functioning of the tournament. They get a brief stating that a good BBG ‘should not be seen’; they must blend in with the background and work silently.

The presence of the Royal family is an important part of the event

The Queen is presently the sponsor of the All England Club while the Duke of Kent is the ruling President. It was earlier a rule that the player must bow on entering or leaving court if any member of the British royal family was present as a spectator.

This rule was abolished in 2003, and today, only the Queen and Prince are honoured in this style.

Wimbledon donates its tennis balls to provide nests for mice

Tennis balls used at Wimbledon are donated to provide homes for the endangered Eurasian harvest mice. These are used as nest boxes for the mice, and in turn, provide them shelter, as they are known to suffer from a housing shortage.

This post was originally published on Solly Sport Life.