July is a busy month in so many different ways. It is the middle of summer for the kids, it is the heart of swimming and barbecue season, and of course, it’s when the famous Tennis tournament, Wimbledon, takes place. There’s nothing better than spending your down time watching a proper tennis tournament with our most elite tennis professionals. I took some time to look into the history of Wimbledon and found that this wonderful, classic, tournament has been around for some time.
It all began on July 9, 1877. It started at the All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis club, which is in an outer suburb of London. Twenty-one amateurs showed up to compete in the Gentlemen’s Singles tournament, the very first event at Wimbledon. The winner took home a 25-guinea trophy.
The All English Club purchased a 25-guinea trophy and drew up formal rules for tennis. It decided on a rectangular court 78 feet long by 27 feet wide. The scoring was originally based on a clock face – i.e., 15, 30, 40, game, and it was established that the first to win six games wins a set and the server was allowed one fault. These decisions, largely the work of club member Dr. Henry Jones, remain part of the modern rules.
Twenty-two men registered for the tournament, but only 21 showed up on July 9 for the first day. The 11 survivors were reduced to six the next day, and then three. Semifinals were on July 12th and then the Final was scheduled for Monday, July 16, but what has become a common occurrence in future Wimbledon tournament, the match was rained out.
It was rescheduled for July 19, where 200 spectators paid a schilling each to see William Marshall, a Cambridge tennis “Blue,” battle W. Spencer Gore. In the final that lasted only 48 minutes, the 27-year-old Gore dominated with his strong volleying game, crushing Marshall, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4. At the second Wimbledon in 1878, however, Gore lost his title when his net-heavy game fell prey to an innovative stroke developed by challenger Frank Hadow: the lob.
In 1884, the Lady’s Singles was introduced at Wimbledon, and Maud Watson won the first championship. That year, the national men’s doubles championship was also played at Wimbledon for the first time after several years at Oxford. Mixed doubles and women’s doubles were inaugurated in 1913. By the early 1900s, Wimbledon had graduated from all-England to all-world status, and in 1922 the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, as it was then known, moved to a large stadium on Church Road. In the 1950s, many tennis stars turned professional while Wimbledon struggled to remain an amateur tournament. However, in 1968 Wimbledon welcomed the pros and quickly regained its status as the world’s top tennis tournament.
The Wimbledon Championships, the only major tennis event still played on grass, has great tradition and continues to be a favorite for anyone who has an interest in the wonderful game of tennis.