Wimbledon Way Back
We’re only days away from the start of the most respected and well-known tournament in professional Tennis, so in preparation let’s take a moment to reflect on where this great game and championship came from.Lawn tennis was first created as a sport in the 1870s by Walter Clopton Wingfield, after which the famous All England Croquet Club added tennis to its club activities and renamed itself the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. This is the private club that hosts the Wimbledon Tournament every summer. The very first tournament was held in 1877, with a final that was attended by only about 200 people, each paying just one shilling. The grounds of this club have moved and grown over the last two centuries, and today it is located on Church Road in Wimbledon. This has been the club’s home since 1922. The famous Centre Court, where championships are played, gets its name from the unique layout of the grounds, with one main court surrounded by four other courts.It wasn’t until 1884 that a ladies championship was included in the annual Wimbledon tournament. Men’s Doubles was also included for the first time that year. As the tournament expanded and gained international popularity, Wimbledon experienced its first foreign champion when May Sutton won the ladies singles in 1905. During World War II the club remained open but was used for military and civil defense purposes. During the war a bomb hit Centre court, causing considerable damage. Another historical win came during the fifties when Althea Gibson became the first black champion of the tournament.The current facilities have undergone a number of changes and reconstruction, always with the goal of improving the tournament and experience for both players and spectators. A long term plan was laid out in 1993, which included a number of provisions for improvements and updates to be made to enhance the grounds. The ultimate goal has become to remain the top tennis tournament in the world.