Wimbledon: The Championships

Wimbledon, officially The Championships, is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam events. First held in 1877 at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London, it is the only Grand Slam still played on grass courts and is known for its traditions, including a strict white dress code.

What the tournament is

Wimbledon is one of the sport's four Grand Slam tournaments, alongside the Australian Open, the French Open and the US Open. It is staged over two weeks, usually in late June and early July, and includes singles, doubles and mixed events for both men and women, as well as junior and wheelchair competitions.

The grass surface produces a faster game than the hard and clay courts used at the other majors, historically favouring strong serving and net play.

Format and structure

The main singles draws feature 128 players each, competing in a single-elimination bracket.

• Seven rounds of singles matches lead to the title
• Men's singles is played as best of five sets, women's singles best of three
• Final sets are decided by a tie-break under current rules to avoid extended deciders
• Champions receive trophies and ranking points toward the world tour standings

History and traditions

The first Championships in 1877 featured only men's singles. Women's singles was added in 1884. Among Wimbledon's enduring traditions are the all-white clothing rule, the consumption of strawberries and cream by spectators, and the central role of Centre Court.

The tournament was an amateur event until the Open Era began in 1968, after which professionals were permitted to compete.

Famous champions

Roger Federer won the men's singles a record eight times. Martina Navratilova holds the women's singles record with nine titles. Other celebrated champions include Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Serena Williams and Steffi Graf.

Wimbledon has long been a stage for defining rivalries and matches, including the 2008 men's final between Federer and Rafael Nadal, frequently cited among the greatest matches in tennis history.

The grass-court game

Wimbledon is the only one of the four Grand Slam tournaments still played on grass, and the surface shapes almost everything about how matches unfold. Grass is the fastest of the main court types: the ball skids through low and quickly after the bounce, rewarding a big serve, sharp reflexes and players willing to move forward to the net. For much of the tournament's history this favoured the serve-and-volley style, though improved racquet and string technology has since allowed baseline players to thrive on the lawns as well.

The courts at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club are sown with a hard-wearing perennial ryegrass and cut to a precise height for the fortnight, then left to wear through the event so that footing and bounce change as the rounds progress. The grass, the predominantly white clothing rule and the late-June timing together give the tournament a character distinct from the hard courts and clay that dominate the rest of the tennis calendar.