INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT WIMBLEDON
Wimbledon is the world's oldest tennis tournament and is the most prestigious title to win. Played only on grass, with a history that goes back 140 years and some traditions and facts, some of which may surprise you...
HOW DID WIMBLEDON START?
Major Walter Clopton Wingfield created tennis back in 1876 and the following year ‘Lawn Tennis’ was added to the title of The All England Croquet Club. To celebrate, the first Lawn Championship was hosted on 9th July 1877.
HOW LONG WAS THE LONGEST MATCH?
John Isner and Nicolas Mahut met in the first round in 2010; the match was over 11 hours and five minutes later. They played for a whopping three days, and the final set lasted eight hours and eleven minutes! Finally, John Isner won with a score 70-68.
WHAT’S THE PRIZE MONEY?
This year's Wimbledon men’s and ladies singles champions will receive £2.2 million each, an increase of £200,000 in 2016.
WHAT’S THE FASTEST EVER SERVE RECORDED AT WIMBLEDON?
Taylor Dent, an American player in 2010, achieved the fastest ever serve at Wimbledon against Novak Djokovic. The serve speed was 148 mph!
HOW MANY STRAWBERRIES ARE CONSUMED DURING THE TOURNAMENT?
Approximately 112,000 punnets of strawberries will be consumed.
WHO WAS THE YOUNGEST PERSON EVER TO WIN WIMBLEDON?
Charlotte Dod was the youngest player ever to win the championship, at just 15 years old in 1887.
HOW MANY TENNIS BALLS ARE USED?
Approximately 42,000 tennis balls are used during Wimbledon.
WHO IS RUFUS THE HAWK?
Rufus the Hawk can be seen circling the skies to ward off pigeons. Each morning before the matches commence Rufus circles the skies to ward off birds. He won’t harm them but he prevents them from interfering with the games. He has even become a bit of a social media national hero and boasts nearly 10,000 followers on Twitter.
THE FIRST PERSON TO BE DISQUALIFIED FROM THE TOURNAMENT WAS...
Tim Henman in 1995 was the first-ever person to be disqualified after losing his temper during his doubles match with Jeremy Bates. Out of frustration, he smashed a ball which in turn hit a ball girl.
