THE WIMBLEDON CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Wimbledon Championships is one of the four Grand Slam Tournaments and it is held annually over two weeks between late June and early July in London, United Kingdom. It features men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, women's doubles, mixed doubles, junior's championships, and wheelchair, legends and exhibition events. It is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and widely considered the most prestigious. The surface of the courts is still grass, which also gave the game its' original name of "lawn tennis." The tournament is also known with its' various traditions, such as the strict dress code for the competitors, eating strawberries and cream for the spectators and royal patronage.
In 1876, Major Walter Wingfield's game called "sphairistikè" was added to the activities of the All England Croquet Club. In 1877, the club was renamed as the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club and organized the first lawn tennis championship. The first tournament was held in Worple Road, Wimbledon. The men's doubles was added in 1879, the women's singles in 1884, and the women's doubles and mixed doubles in 1913. In 1922, the tournament was relocated to the Church Road, which was opened by King George V. In 2009, a new retractable roof was built on Centre Court to enable the matches to continue during rain. In 2010, the longest match in tennis history took place at Wimbledon. John Isner and Nicolas Mahut played a match for 11 hours, 5 minutes spread over three days.
In 1876, Major Walter Wingfield's game called "sphairistikè" was added to the activities of the All England Croquet Club. In 1877, the club was renamed as the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club and organized the first lawn tennis championship. The first tournament was held in Worple Road, Wimbledon. The men's doubles was added in 1879, the women's singles in 1884, and the women's doubles and mixed doubles in 1913. In 1922, the tournament was relocated to the Church Road, which was opened by King George V. In 2009, a new retractable roof was built on Centre Court to enable the matches to continue during rain. In 2010, the longest match in tennis history took place at Wimbledon. John Isner and Nicolas Mahut played a match for 11 hours, 5 minutes spread over three days.
In 2014, the tournament will run from June 23 through to July 6.