British Tennis - Lawn Tennis Association

In the long history of The Championships, Wimbledon has undergone many changes to make it the spectacle it is today.

The game of tennis and the history of Wimbledon are intrinsically entwined, the two growing alongside one another over the years, with Wimbledon often setting the trends, and the standard, for other competitions.

The first Championships was a small affair of just 22 competitors participating in a men’s singles contest. The event was held at The All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club in Worple Road, Wimbledon in 1877. Around 200 spectators turned up to watch Spencer Gore win the final for just one shilling.

The sport of lawn tennis was a fast-growing past-time in England that summer despite having only been introduced by Major Walter Clopton Wingfield a few years earlier under the unemployed and unpronounceable name of ‘sphairistike’.

The inaugural Championships gave the game its first real outing into the eyes of the British public thanks to the man who introduced lawn tennis to its home in Wimbledon. Henry ‘Cavendish’ Jones convinced The All England Croquet Club to replace a single croquet court with a lawn tennis court in 1875, sparking off what is known today as the greatest of all tennis tournaments.

In 1884, an important marking in the history of The Championships saw women enter the tournament for the first time. The yearly competition was speedily growing and in addition to the 13 players who participated in the ladies’ singles, the men’s doubles competition was also introduced. By the time the new century rolled in, the event was still on the rise and in 1913 the ladies’ and mixed doubles were also established completing the five main events.

By the 1920s, interest in lawn tennis and The Championships had grown so intensely that building works for a larger venue began on Church Street at today’s present site. The cost of this move was a staggering £140,000 and a new arena with a capacity of 14,000 was planned due to public demand for the tournament. The new Wimbledon ground opening in 1922 was a royal event and even with all the new seats, a ballot had to be held to fairly sell the tickets, the beginning of a long standing tradition.

The move to Church Road hailed a new era of rules as well as a new home in Wimbledon. Prior to 1922, the reigning champion would return to play only in the final, against whoever had won through to challenge them. Since the move the reigning champion has to play in the main draw, making consecutive Wimbledon titles a much greater feat. 

Wimbledon, like other major sporting events, could not escape from the strife that World War II brought to the world. The Championships, along with the French Championships, were brought to a shutdown between 1940 and 1945. Centre Court was even hit by a bomb in October of 1940, taking no lives, but flattening 1,200 seats.

However, though the play could not continue, Church Road was by no means closed. The grounds were used for many other national purposes, as a military training ground, a station for the Home Guard and even as a farm helping out on the Home Front.

The years following World War II brought forth many social changes, and subsequently, changes to the game of tennis. In 1957, the first black Wimbledon Champion, Althea Gibson, was crowned and in 1967 Wimbledon became a piece of television history as the first official colour broadcast in the UK. Transformations were soon made to the game in other areas, Wimbledon following suit in 1968 by becoming an Open Championship and introducing the tie-break in 1971.

Coupled with the extended customs of Wimbledon also lies superstition, the greatest of which lies in the notoriously branded No.2 Court. The court has been christened the "Graveyard of Champions" thanks to its reputation for playing host to many seeded players being unexpectedly knocked out of the competition.

During the 2009 Championships, Centre Court became the focus of a change in the tournament’s history. The fitting of its new roof was unveiled on May 17th and at 5.19pm on Monday, June 29th June, the first match took place under the roof.

The match was between Dinara Safina and Amelie Mauresmo, with the former making Wimbledon history by defeating the Frenchwoman in three sets to become the first winner under the roof.