Game, set and match on sacred turf

All eyes are on Wimbledon’s famous Centre Court when The Championships take place for two weeks in London’s suburb of South West 19. After the Grand Slam tournaments in Melbourne and Paris, the players must attune to entirely different conditions: Wimbledon is the only Grand Slam event played on grass.

Tennis and sportsmanship – very British

The lawn is an integral part of Wimbledon, even part of the Club’s name. Formally the All England Croquet Club, the name was changed in 1877 when interest in grass-court tennis grew.

Highlights of Wimbledon’s tennis history

The Championships are famous for their memorable games and the many new records set by players. Take Björn Borg from Sweden who, in 1980, won the Men’s Singles for the fifth time in succession; in 1985 Boris Becker was the youngest and the first German player to win the title. Czech born Martina Navratilova has won a record number of nine Singles titles in a competitive career spanning three decades.

Strawberries and a modern museum

Tradition plays an important role at Wimbledon. Apart from the lawns and the game-free Sunday, the most famous tennis tournament in the world is known for its insistence on players complying with a strict dress code. And every year the spectators like to indulge themselves in fresh strawberries – over 2000 kilos a day – served with cream and a glass of Champagne. The charm of this and other traditions can be traced back in the new multi-award winning Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum.

Tradition and groundbreaking technology

The All England Lawn Tennis Club is a non-profit organisation which uses the funds generated by The Championships to develop tennis in Great Britain. Additional income comes from the sale of a wide range of merchandising available in the Wimbledon Shop which visitors pass through on the way to the museum. Here technology and tradition are embraced in equal measure – historical tennis memorabilia is displayed alongside state-of-the-art interactive touch screens. Modern technology can also be found in the in-house laundry where Miele washing machines and tumble dryers reliably work away behind the scenes.

Founded	1868 (The All England Croquet Club)
Total area	17 hectares
Total number of courts	33
Number of grass courts	18

Wimbledon, London, Great Britain