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Wimbledon is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, having begun in 1877. The Championship takes place every year and is hosted by the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.
Wimbledon is renowned for the rich heritage and traditions that it follows even today.
Beginning in late June, Wimbledon is open to all tennis players from around the world. Players come together under the categories of men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, women's doubles and mixed doubles to try and win the prestigious trophies up for grabs.
The culture of the Wimbledon Championships is very unique because of its rules. The players have to adhere to an all-white dress code while on the court. Another unique aspect about Wimbledon is the absence of commercial advertisements on the courts.
As part of the tournament's traditions, the audience eat strawberries and cream while watching the matches. The prize money on offer is also a great attraction; Wimbledon is one of the highest paying Grand Slams in the world.
Every aspect of the game - from the tennis ball to the location of every match - is decided by the officials of the All England Lawn Tennis Club. And over the years, the Wimbledon grass courts have seen several displays of brilliance, elegance, sportsmanship, fandom and the indomitable spirit of players.
Here are some of the things that people frequently ask and like to know about Wimbledon.
1. Highest number of titles
In the men's singles category, the Swiss maestro Roger Federer has won a record eight Wimbledon titles in his career. William Renshaw was the first man to win seven Wimbledon titles until 2000, while Pete Sampras has appeared seven times in finals, winning them all, for a total haul of seven trophies too.
In women's singles, Martina Navratilova won a record nine Wimbledon trophies through her storied career. Serena Williams, meanwhile, has got seven among her 23 Grand Slams here at Wimbledon.
2. Winners of the latest edition (2018)
In the year 2018, Novak Djokovic won the Wimbledon men's singles title by defeating Kevin Anderson in the final. In the women's singles, Angelique Kerber registered an astonishing win over the all-time great Serena Williams.
The men's doubles title was won by the duo of Mike Bryan and Jack Sock, and the women's doubles championship by Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova.
The mixed doubles title was won by Alexander Peya and Nicole Melichar.
3. Longest match at Wimbledon
The longest match in the history of tennis happened in the year 2010 between John Isner and Nicholas Mahut. The match lasted for a duration of 11 hours and five minutes, and was played over three consecutive days.
The marathon match consisted of 5 sets and 183 games, while the last set alone lasted for more than 8 hours. The final set kept getting extended until Isner finally broke Mahut's serve to win it 70-68.
No other tennis match in any other event has lasted this long.
4. Fastest serves at Wimbledon
Tennis is a game of aggression and tough competition. It is also a game where the starting stroke - the serve - is of tremendous importance.
Wimbledon has witnessed some of the fastest serves in recent times.
In 2010, Taylor Dent hammered his way into the record books by blasting a laser-like 148mph serve against Djokovic.
In the women's category, Venus Williams served at a speed of 129mph which is still the best by any woman player at the tournament.
5. Most aces
The ace is the single most eye-catching way to win a point; tennis would be no fun if there weren't any aces.
At the 2001 Wimbledon, Goran Ivanišević made it to the tournament via a wildcard after a surgery. Throughout the tournament, Ivanisevic hammered as many as 212 aces, which was then a record.
But John Isner broke that record in 2018, by sending down 214 aces.
In the women's category, Serena Williams hit 102 aces during the 2012 Wimbledon tournament.
6. Clothing rules for spectators
Just like the players are strictly asked to follow an all-white dress code, the spectators too have got some rules. Although these are not stringent dress codes, there are some restrictions mentioned for the cheering crowd.
The spectators are not allowed to wear torn jeans, dirty sneakers, sports shoes or running vests. Otherwise, the audience is free to dress up according to their wish.
They are also allowed to take limited food or drinks to the matches.
7. Rufus the Hawk
Retractable enclosures have been installed over the Wimbledon tennis courts to avoid delays due to rain. But there is something else that flies over the courts during the matches.
Rufus the Hawk flies above the courts every morning to scare the pigeons away. He's been guarding the Wimbledon courts and many other famous landmarks in London for over 10 years.
He has even got an All-England Club ID card of his own!
8. Ball girls and Ball boys
Every year there are about 250 ball boys and ball girls who are assigned to pick up every missed ball at Wimbledon. All of them take up vigorous training to be a part of the massive tournament.
The number of balls used at Wimbledon can go up to 54,250. Ball boys and ball girls need to run as quickly as possible to keep the match going on.
These volunteers also assist the players with face towels during the matches. Every year more than 1000 entries come in, and the best 250 are selected for the matches.
9. Trophies for the winners
The men's championship trophy is a Golden Challenge Cup while the women winners get a Ladies' Singles Plate. The Challenge Cup has been in use from the year 1887 and the Plate has been given to winners since 1886.
However, players cannot take the actual cup with themselves after winning. Instead, they receive a smaller replica of the real one every time they win the Wimbledon Championship.
10. Tickets and museum for Wimbledon tournament
The ticket details to witness the grand tournament are available on Wimbledon's official website. Every year a ballot is opened, for which people must submit a registration form to the All England Lawn Tennis Club.
Throughout the year, tours through the courts are open for viewers. There is also a museum where the actual trophies are kept for the audience to look at. The history of Wimbledon, its facts, list of winners and much more are part of the museum.
