Wimbledon
What Is Wimbledon?
The Championships, Wimbledon, commonly known just as
Wimbledon, is the oldest tennis tournament in the world. It was
first held in 1877 at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London.
Wimbledon is one of the four grand slam tennis
tournaments, with the others being: Did You Know…?
• the Australian Open; Since the Australian
• the French Open; Open began using
• the US Open. hardcourts in 1988,
Summer is a busy time for tennis players as all Wimbledon is the only
the grand slams take place at this time of year. major tournament still
Wimbledon used to take place over a span of two played on grass courts.
weeks in late June and early July but has recently
been moved to begin in early July instead. This will allow players more rest
time between tournaments.
During the tournament, the main events are for:
• Gentlemen’s Singles;
• Ladies’ Singles;
• Gentlemen’s Doubles;
• Ladies’ Doubles;
• Mixed Doubles.
The History of Wimbledon
1877 – The only event held was the
Gentlemen’s Singles. This was won by
Englishman, Spencer Gore. Around 200
spectators watched the final.
1884 – The club added Gentlemen’s Doubles and Ladies’
Singles competitions.
1913 – Ladies’ Doubles and Mixed Doubles were added.
1937 – The Championship was first televised.
2009 – A retractable roof was added to Centre Court. This
means that matches can continue even during rain.
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Wimbledon
Wimbledon Traditions
Ballboys and Ballgirls
The job of ballboys and ballgirls (BBGs) is to collect any balls which go out of
play during a game. To become a BBG, children must pass a number of tests and
complete a training phase. They must be able to ‘blend into the background and
get on with their jobs quietly’.
Colours and Uniforms
The traditional colours of Wimbledon are Did You Know…?
dark green and purple. However, all players Traditionally, there is no play
in the tournament are expected to wear on the middle Sunday of the
white tennis clothes. tournament, which is a rest
day. However, excessive rain
Royal Family during the first week has
Members of the Royal Family watch forced play on the
Wimbledon matches from the Royal Box. middle Sunday four
Players bow or curtsey as they enter Centre times, in 1991, 1997,
Court if HRH The Prince of Wales or Her 2004 and 2016.
Majesty The Queen are present.
Trophies
The Gentlemen's Singles champion is presented with a silver gilt cup. It is 47cm
tall and 19cm in diameter. The actual trophy is the property of the All England
Club, so the champion is given a three-quarter sized copy of the cup. This has
the names of all past Champions engraved on it.
The Ladies' Singles champion is presented
Did You Know…? with a sterling silver salver (tray). It is 48cm
In 2017, fans ate 34,000kg in diameter and is decorated with figures from
of English strawberries mythology. Again, the champion is given a
and 10,000 litres three-quarter sized copy to keep, with the
of cream. names of all past Champions engraved on it.
The winners of the Gentlemen's Doubles, Ladies' Doubles and Mixed Doubles
events each receive silver cups.
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Wimbledon
Questions
1. In which year was Wimbledon first held? Tick one.
1877
1884
1913
1937
2. Match the competition to the trophies received.
Gentlemen’s Singles sterling silver salver
Ladies’ Singles silver gilt cup
Mixed Doubles silver cup
3. How many men will play in the Gentlemen’s Singles competition?
4. Fill in the missing words from this sentence:
In 1877, the only event held was the , which was won by Englishman
.
5. Find and copy a word which shows that the trophy that winning players keep is not the
‘real’ one.
6. Summarise the information about ‘ballboys and ballgirls’ in 40 words or less.
7. Why do you think that players need more rest time between tournaments?
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Wimbledon
8. Why do you think that winners are not allowed to keep the ‘real’ trophies?
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Wimbledon
Answers
1. In which year was Wimbledon first held? Tick one.
1877
1884
1913
1937
2. Match the competition to the trophies received.
Gentlemen’s Singles sterling silver salver
Ladies’ Singles silver gilt cup
Mixed Doubles silver cup
3. How many men will play in the Gentlemen’s Singles competition?
128 men will play in the Gentlemen’s Singles competition.
4. Fill in the missing words from this sentence:
In 1877, the only event held was the Gentlemen’s Singles, which was won by Englishman
Spencer Gore.
5. Find and copy a word which shows that the trophy that winning players keep is not the
‘real’ one.
Accept ‘replica’ or ‘copy’.
6. Summarise the information about ‘ballboys and ballgirls’ in 40 words or less.
Pupils’ own responses, such as: Ballboys and ballgirls (BBGs) have to pass tests before
completing a training phase to be able to do the job of collecting balls that go out of
play during a game while blending into the background.
7. Why do you think that players need more rest time between tournaments?
Pupils’ own responses, such as: Tennis is an active sport during which players use
a lot of energy so they need more rest time to allow their bodies to recover between
tournaments.
8. Why do you think that winners are not allowed to keep the ‘real’ trophies?
Pupils’ own responses, such as: The ‘real’ trophies are probably worth a lot of money
(they are precious metals and very old) so winners are not allowed to keep these as they
might lose them.
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