|
|
|
| Sunday, 4 September 2005 |
 |
|
 |
Junior Observer |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
|
History of Wimbledon Championships
The Wimbledon Championship was one of the most significant developments in the history of tennis. The game captured the imagination of the public and it didn't take long before the first champions emerged. The first of these was William Renshaw who won the championship title eight times between 1881 and 1889 (he was runner-up in 1887).
However, tennis fashions were somewhat different in those days! Long trousers were the order of the day for men, and for women it was long dresses and stockings. Fashion trends became a development in their own right and Bunny Austin from the USA shocked the crowds in 1933 when he became the first player to step out on to centre court wearing shorts! The 1930s became Wimbledon's boom time and in 1937, the championship was broadcast on the radio for the first time. This was a significant event, truly introducing tennis to the world.
The 1960s were dominated by Australian players Rod Laver and Roy Emerson and with the spread of television introducing the game to a much wider audience, tennis became a big-money, international sport. The first colour television broadcast from Wimbledon came in 1967. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s the game, became dominated by the new legion of international players. In the ladies game stars such as Sue Barker, Chris Evert Lloyd and Martina Navratilova filled the courts with fans. Britain's foremost female player was Virginia Wade, the last Brit to win the Championships in 1977. The prize money went up, as did the hemlines of players' clothing! In 1986 the Championships adopted yellow tennis balls for the first time - partly to make the speeding balls more visible for the television cameras.
Notable Winners (Won the Championship more than five times) Men's Single Championship William Renshaw (1881-1888, 1889) Lawrence Poferty (1902-1906) Bjorn Borj (1976-1980) Pete Sampras (1993-1995, 1997-2000) Women's Single Championship Blanche Bingly (1886-1889, 1894, 1897, 1899, 1900) Lotte Dod (1887-1888, 1891-1893) Charlotte Cooper Sterry (1895-1896, 1898, 1901,1908) Suzane Lenglen (1919-1923) Helen Wills (1927-1930, 1932-1933,1935,1938) Bille Jean King (1965-1968, 1972-1973, 1975) Martina Navratilova (1982-1987, 1990) Steffi Graf (1988-1989, 1991-1993, 1995-1996) *** Traditions Green and purple are the traditional Wimbledon colours. Female players are always referred to during play by the title "Miss" or "Missus". Married female players are addressed by their husband's surname; for example, the American champion, Chris Evert, was referred to as "Mrs. Lloyd" when she was married to John Lloyd. Another American champion, Billie Jean King, was addressed as "Mrs. Moffett". Male players, however, are always referred to simply by their surnames. The tournament begins each year six weeks before the first Monday in August, and lasts for a fortnight. Traditionally, there is no play on the "Middle Sunday." Thrice in Championship's history (most recently in 2004), rain has forced play on the Middle Sunday. During the first week, the early rounds are played, whilst during the second week, the "Round of Sixteen," the Quarter-finals, the Sem-ifinals and Finals are held. 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. The Gentlemen's Singles Champion receives a silver gilt trophy of a height of over eighteen inches. The Ladies' Singles Trophy is a silver salver, almost nineteen inches in diameter, commonly called the "Rosewater Dish" or the "Venus Rosewater Dish." Trophies are also presented in the other events. Prize money figures for 2005 (with the amount shown for doubles being divided equally among the partners) were: In Sterling pounds... * Gentlemen's Singles: 630,000 * Ladies' Singles:600,000 * Gentlemen's Doubles: 218,500 * Ladies' Doubles: 203,250 * Mixed Doubles: 90,000 Wimbledon and the French Open both have higher prize money for male
champions than for female ones; the US Open and Australian Open pay equal
amounts. |
|
| News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security
| Politics | Produced by Lake House |
Something that was once the pastime of Kings has become a sport for
all. Tennis is a world-class competitive sport enjoyed by millions of
players and fans all round the world. A constant programme of tournaments
and events takes place throughout the year and top players have become
sporting icons for a new generation. 
The growth of tennis continued and the 1927 Championship saw the first
ever radio broadcast of a tennis event. This increased its popularity
further and in the 1930s the game became highly fashionable, led by
British stars such as Fred Perry and Don Budge and International Champions
such as Henri Lacoste. 
All this came to a sudden end in 1939 when the Second World War closed
the championships until 1946. (Incidentally this was the last year at
Wimbledon when a player wore long trousers on court!) The post war
generation went on to transform the sport, adding technical improvements,
which turned it into a sophisticated pastime for the middle classes. 
Into the 1990s the championships became more popular than ever -
particularly as Great Britain's hopes for a champion became rekindled with
the likes of Greg Rusedski and Tim Henman. Despite being a truly
international event, Wimbledon has become the British sporting event of
the year. 
