A look at the history of Wimbledon

The most prestigious tournament in international tennis, the Wimbledon Championships have transformed a formerly sleepy district on the outskirts of south-west London into a hotbed of sporting action and world-class talent. Although sizeable prize money can be won by the competitors, the more valuable reward is arguably the chance to join the list of tennis greats who have won the championship since it was first held on 9 July 1877.

Tennis itself has existed in some form since the Middle Ages, but the modern game began to take shape in the late 19th century - and it wasn't long before the rules were codified and the All England Club was established in Wimbledon, in a form that has remained remarkably unchanged since.

As such an important centre for tennis, the Wimbledon Championships saw many innovations in techniques being developed over the years, ever since the first winner Spencer Gore achieved his victory by volleying the ball to the left and right of the court - a move not previously witnessed by his opponents or the gathered crowd.

The next year, Gore was trumped by Frank Hadow when the latter pitched the ball above his head - now commonly known as a lob shot. A few years later, in 1881, twins Ernest and William Renshaw achieved their numerous victories partly thanks to their novel overhead serves.

By this time in Wimbledon's history, the tournaments were drawing thousands of spectators, compared to the mere 200 that had gathered in the late 1870s. Numbers would increase even more, and interest in the game expanded hugely, when Wimbledon was opened up to international competitors in 1905, providing tough competition for Britain's home-grown talent.

The history of Wimbledon has been a different story altogether for women, however - indeed, it wasn't until recently that prize money was distributed evenly between the sexes. Although women had been participating since 1884, players were required to wear restrictive corsets until as late as the 1920s, while shorts were not permissible for either men or women until the 1930s. That's not to say Wimbledon has been a divisive championship though - black players had been invited to participate in the tournament since as far back as 1951 - with Althea Gibson becoming the first black winner of the singles title.

Wimbledon remains a popular sport for players and audiences from all over the world, and the 2011 Championships - taking place between 20 June and 3 July - feature a wealth of talent, including Britain's own Andy Murray competing against the likes of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Recent research gathered from paid surveys suggests Nadal is the favourite to win the men’s championship whilst the women’s favourite to win is still undecided.

About the Author

Paul Buchanan writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.

Author (pbuchanan). Submitted on Thu, 7 Jul 2011 Time: 12:24 PM

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