History of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships

Wimbledon is the oldest tennis tournament in the world. The Championships were first played way back in 1877, when a cricketer won the Men’s singles title. Over the decades the tournament has evolved from a garden party for amateur tennis enthusiasts to a multi-million-pound professional competition watched by millions across the planet.

Originally set on the grass courts of Worple Road, Wimbledon, the tournament moved to its current home in 1922, when the Centre Court was officially opened.

Since then Wimbledon has grown and grown. The first Women’s singles championship had just 13 entries but today both singles tournaments welcome 128 players to SW19. The campus has also expanded to 18 Championship courts, 20 practice courts, and eight clay courts. That’s a lot of tennis!

Wimbledon has survived two World Wars, embraced the Open Era, witnessed numerous controversies, and showcased the world’s biggest tennis stars. The future looks bright for the Championships, which blends innovation and tradition like no other tennis tournament.

The many rules of Wimbledon

If you were to guess who wrote the rules of Wimbledon – and therefore standardised the rules of tennis – we doubt you’d have a cricket club high on your list of answers. The Marylebone Cricket Club standardised tennis’ rules in May 1875 – two years before the first Men’s championships at Wimbledon.

The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) took these rules and used them to oversee tennis for decades to come, making occasional alterations along the way.

There are some rules specific to Wimbledon that you don’t necessarily see in other tournaments. Here are the core ones you need to know about:

Scoring system

• The tennis method of scoring by fifteens (15, 30, 40) was adopted at Wimbledon’s first ever championships. This principle has not changed.
• Players win a set by winning six games with a two-game minimum advantage. Originally sets went to “sudden death” at 5-5 but these days a tie-break is played at 6-6.
• Players used to change ends after each set, but this was changed to every two games to ensure fairness.
• Second serves were part of the original Wimbledon rules and remain an integral part of tennis to this day.
• Men have always played five-set tennis at Wimbledon, and women have always played three-set matches. As Serena Williams said in 2019, women are open to playing five sets but tournament organisers have never asked them to.

Wimbledon dress code

• Wimbledon's dress code is very traditional and harks back to the cricketers who devised the rules in the 1870s. Players are expected to wear all white – an oversight that affects female players who may be menstruating during the tournament.

Weather

• Wimbledon is not affected by heat as much as the other three Grand Slams (Melbourne, Paris, New York) but there is nevertheless a heat rule if the mercury rises too high. Matches featuring temperatures above 30.1 celsius trigger a 10-minute drinks break after the second set for women's matches, and after the third set for men's.
• Heat rules don't apply for matches under the roof of Centre Court or Court One.
• Umpires pause play on outside courts if it rains, with covers used to protect the grass. If rain is forecast on the day of play then Centre Court and Court One's retractable roofs may be used.

Appeals

• Players can appeal decisions made during matches that relate to the game itself. They can appeal "to the Chair Umpire in a professional and non-abusive manner". A player is given three challenges ahead of each set, plus an extra one in tie breaks. Around 24% of all challenges are successful.

Wimbledon winners list

​​Here’s the updated Wimbledon winners list, starting from the first Men’s singles championship way back in 1877. The Championships weren’t held during the first and second World Wars, or during the Covid-19 pandemic of 2020.

The best Wimbledon matches of all time

Wimbledon has produced some remarkable moments down the years but, of all the best Wimbledon matches, three finals from SW19 truly stand out. Here they are:

1. 2008 Men's Final – Rafael Nadal vs. Roger Federer

Nadal beats Federer 6–4, 6–4, 6–7(5), 6–7(8), 9–7

Arguably the greatest tennis match in history, Rafael Nadal ended Roger Federer’s five-year unbeaten streak at Wimbledon with a monumental five-set showdown on Centre Court. Nadal, who had lost the last two finals to Federer, took the first two sets. However, the Swiss maestro forced his way back into the contest, winning the next two sets on tie breaks. Nadal finally got over the line, winning the last set 9-7. The final lasted 4 hours and 48 minutes.

2. 1978 Women's Final – Martina Navratilova vs. Chris Evert

Navratilova beats Evert 2–6, 6–4, 7–5

Martina Navratilova’s rivalry with Chris Evert began at Wimbledon, when Navratilova came from a set down to beat the two-time champion. The match was an intense affair, with Navratilova being hit on the head as she came to the net in the second set. She rallied after that point to level the match, and then overpowered Evert to win the last set 7-5. The match set the tone for a sporting rivalry that spanned nine Grand Slam finals.

3. 1992 Men's Final – Andre Agassi vs. Goran Ivanišević

Agassi beats Ivanišević 6–7(8), 6–4, 6–4, 1–6, 6–4

Andre Agassi had already lost three Grand Slam finals by the time he went up against Goran Ivanišević in 1992. Agassi was desperate to claim the trophy and played like a true fighter, beating back Ivanišević's epic serves. Agassi lost the fourth set 6-1 with all the hallmarks of a player losing their head. But then the American dug in. Despite seeing 37 aces zip past him, Agassi kept his cool and finally broke Ivanišević in the fifth set at 4-4. He served out the epic match and then broke down in tears.

Interesting Wimbledon stats and facts

The history of Wimbledon is littered with records and interesting facts. Here are some of the best:

Top stats about Wimbledon:

• John Isner vs Nicolas Mahut lasted 11 hours 5 minutes in 2010. Isner won 6–4, 3–6, 6–7, 7–6, 70–68. It remains the longest match in Wimbledon history.
• Taylor Dent recorded the fastest serve in Wimbledon history when hitting 148 mph during a doubles match in 2010.
• Venus Williams set the fastest serve by a woman at Wimbledon in 2008 when hitting 129 mph.
• John Isner set the record for the most aces hit in a single championship (214) during the 2010 Men's singles tournament. Serena Williams (102 in 2012) holds the women's record.
• Martina Navratilova (9) holds the outright record for the most singles titles at Wimbledon. Roger Federer (8) holds the men's record.
• Martina Navratilova (326) also holds the record for the most matches played at Wimbledon.
• Björn Borg still holds the record for the best match winning percentage at Wimbledon (92.72%).
• Goran Ivanišević was the lowest-ranked winner in Wimbledon history when he claimed the men's singles title in 2001, ranked 125th.
• Lottie Dod holds the record for the youngest ever Wimbledon singles champion when claiming the 1891 women's title aged 15 years, 285 days. Boris Becker holds the men's record of 17 years, 228 days after beating Kevin Curren in the 1985 final.
• Novak Djokovic's five-set victory over Roger Federer in 2019 is the longest Wimbledon final in history (4 hours 57 minutes).
• Yaroslava Shvedova is the only player to ever win a set at Wimbledon without losing a point, when she beat Italy's Sara Errani in the 2012 third round.

Interesting facts about Wimbledon:

• The first Men’s Wimbledon singles champion was actually a cricketer named Spencer Gore, who beat architect William Marshall in the 1877 final.
• Wimbledon matches are played on 100% rye grass, which is cut to 8mm.
• The 'middle Sunday' of Wimbledon has only featured matches on four occasions (1991, 1997, 2004, 2016)
• Wimbledon hires a team of 'stringers' to restring rackets on request. Stringers go through 2,000 rackets during an average Championship, replacing 40 miles of string.
• Wimbledon sells almost 55,000 towels per year at the Championships.
• The Queen only attended Wimbledon on four occasions, in 1957, 1962, 1977 and 2010, despite having a Royal Box to sit in.
• The women's Singles Plate was first presented as a trophy in 1886, while the men's Challenge Cup trophy was presented for the first time a year later.
• Since 1992, the Championships have played out without rain interruptions on eight occasions (1931, 1976, 1977, 1993, 1995, 2009, 2010, 2019).
• Maud Watson beat her sister Lilian to win the first women's singles title in 1884.
• When the tournament resumed after the Second World War in 1946, crowds were restricted on Centre Court because of damage inflicted to the roof by a bomb strike.
• Wimbledon prize money was only awarded for the first time in 1968, with the men's champion earning £2,000 and the women's champion receiving £750. Equal pay was only introduced in 2007.

How to bet on the Wimbledon Tennis Championships

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