Beyond Centre Court: Unveiling the Top 5 Hidden Mysteries of Wimbledon

With millions of fans, the Wimbledon Championships is considered to be the oldest and the most prominent tennis tournament in the world. Founded around 147 years ago in 1877, the Wimbledon Championships has a series of hidden mysteries that most tennis aficionados don’t have an idea about. As one of the four grand slam tournaments, the Wimbledon Championships has also been referred to as “The All England Lawn Tennis Championships”, the “Wimbledon Championships” and simply “Wimbledon” in the past. Numerous legendary tennis players, including Roger Federer, Pete Sampras, Boris Becker, John McEnroe, Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf and many more have graced the format with their brilliant exploits on the tennis court over the years. 

In this article, we will take a look at the top five hidden mysteries behind the world’s oldest tennis tournament, Wimbledon. 

• World’s Oldest Tennis Tournament

Originally founded in 1877, the “Wimbledon Championships” first started off as a men’s singles event at the iconic All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London. The inaugural 1877 Wimbledon Championship was held on 9 July 1877 and featured a total of 22 players who paid a “Guinea” to enter the tournament. The first women’s championship took place in 1884, which was clinched by Maud Watson. Although initially Wimbledon witnessed only British players, by the mid-20th century, the format witnessed an active inclusion of non-British players as well. 

The Wimbledon Championship faced a major blow as the All England Club was bombed during World War II, and it was only after decades, in 1968, that Wimbledon entered its open era. The first open era of Wimbledon was clinched by Australia’s Rod Laver, who was also awarded with the prize money worth £2,000. 

• The “11 hour long” Wimbledon match

The encounter between France’s Nicolas Mahut and United States’ John Isne marked the longest match in the history of Wimbledon during the 2010 Wimbledon Championships. The match lasted for eleven hours and five minutes, making it the longest match that the history of Wimbledon Championships has ever witnessed. The match took place over the course of three days from June 22, 2010, to June 24, 2010. The iconic professional tennis player from the United States, John Isner, eventually defeated France’s Nicolas Mahut with a final score of 6–4, 3–6, 6–7(7), 7–6(3), 70–68. 

• “Rufus” the hawk at the Wimbledon

The 42-acre ground of the “All England Club” is guarded by a hawk named “Rufus” who is also considered as a crucial member of the “Wimbledon Family”. Rufus has been employed for over fifteen years at the All England Club to scare pigeons away from the ground in order to ensure smooth tennis matches. Earlier, a hawk named “Hamish” was employed to do the same job at the All England Club. Rufus is also hailed as one of “Britain’s best-known birds” and is also acknowledged as the world’s most notable bird who has been scaring the pigeons away from the Wimbledon Championship for the past fifteen years. 

• The Balls used at the Wimbledon
  

According to the reports, an estimated total of 54,000 Dunlop Slazenger Ultra Vis Hydroguard tennis balls are used in every Wimbledon Championship. Additionally, the tennis balls are preserved at a temperature of exactly “68°F” (20°C) to ensure their smoothness and squeaky-clean condition. If you’re wondering what happens to these 54,000 balls after the conclusion of the tournament, these are often sold as souvenirs to the hardcore Wimbelon fans, some are distributed to the local tennis clubs in England and others are recycled. Although Wimbledon initially involved white tennis balls, later with the advent of television broadcasts, the authorities switched their decision and made use of yellow tennis balls that were more visible to the camera as well as the spectators in the ground. 

• The Ritual of “Strawberries and Cream” at the Wimbledon

The ritual of eating “strawberries with cream” has been a major part of the Wimbledon Championship since its inception in 1877. Since strawberries were considered to be a popular snack in the Victorian period and also symbolised the advent of British summers, they were added as the main snack for the tournament. As per reports, the strawbe consumed at the Wimbledon Champions are of the finest quality and are sourced especially from Kent, also referred to as “the garden of England”. This culinary tradition of serving fresh strawberries with cream has been a popular ritual of the Wimbledon Championship that is still unscathed.

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