The Championships tennis tournament is the oldest in the sport in the world, having been run since 1877. However, in the 144 years of its running since its inception, it has come to be better known by the name of the venue it is held at: Wimbledon.
The name Wimbledon has been synonymous with the highest level of prestige and competition in tennis for almost 150 years now, and being Wimbledon champion is one of the highest achievements one can have. In fact, in the eyes of many, it is the ultimate prize.
Aside from the enormous cash reward, a victory at Wimbledon cements your legacy as one of the best tennis players to ever do it, and the best of your time. Wimbledon is the ultimate clash of the best tennis players on the planet, and like any other marquee event, it’s the one everyone wants to win. And the 2024 running will be no different!
When did Wimbledon tennis start?
The first Wimbledon Championships were held in 1877, with 22 entrants, each of whom paid a single guinea to enter the tournament. 200 people turned up to watch the match, and the man who won the first Wimbledon Championship final was Spencer Gore.
His prize money was a staggering 12 guineas, or just over £1,000 in today’s money! The prize money was accompanied by a trophy donated by a local paper. The tournament was hosted by the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, an organization that still runs the Wimbledon venue to this day!
Who are the most recent Wimbledon winners?
In recent years, the men’s singles division has been mostly dominated by two names. In fact, in the last twenty runnings of the event, only five times was the event not won by one of these two.
Between them, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic have won 15 of the 20 events held since 2003, with the 2000s being dominated by Federer and the 2010s by Djokovic. Federer won eight titles in this time period, including five in a row from 2003 through 2007, with Djokovic winning seven.
The other five titles during this period (since the event was cancelled during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020) were shared by three men. The 2008 and 2010 events were won by Rafael Nadal, with Andy Murray winning the 2013 and 2016 Wimbledon Championships.
The final title during this period was won by the most recent man to lift the trophy, being Carlos Alcaraz of Spain.
Who won Wimbledon 2023?
The Wimbledon 2023 winner was the Spanish player Carlos Alcaraz, who took his first ever Wimbledon championship in 2023 over Novak Djokovic in a nail-biting final. The match ultimately ended with a three sets to two victory for Alcaraz, and the third-longest finals in Wimbledon history.
It also marked the first time since 2002 that a player not part of the tennis big four won the Wimbledon championship! But who are the big four in tennis, even?
Who are the big 4 in tennis?
The big four are the four players that have between them completely dominated tennis for the last two decades. It’s actually quite contentious whether or not they should be considered the big three or the big four, though.
The three players that are a part of both of these are Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic, with the big four being these three plus Andy Murray.
While Murray never quite accumulated the same consistency and breadth of results as the other three, he was still considered by many close enough, and consistent enough, to be spoken of in the same conversation.
What is the Wimbledon schedule this year?
Every year, the Wimbledon Championship begins on either the last Monday of June or the first Monday of July. The tournament lasts exactly fourteen days, beginning on a Monday and ending on a Sunday. The Wimbledon 2024 dates therefore begin on Monday, July 1st and finish on Sunday, July 14th.
The final game of the men’s finals will play on this final Sunday, and is usually the most attended and most popular match!
When is the 2024 Wimbledon final?
The men’s singles finals and the women’s doubles finals will be played on the final Sunday of the two weeks of matches, with the women’s singles finals and men’s doubles finals being played on the preceding Saturday.
This means the men’s finals falls on Sunday the 14th of July, with the women’s finals falling on Saturday the 13th. These days are likely to be the most expensive, so if you want tickets to them, it’s best to start looking soon!
How much do Wimbledon tickets cost?
The prices of tickets to any given day at Wimbledon vary, based on both how deep in the competition the day is, and how close to the action your seats are!
For instance, while you can get seats on the centre court for as low as £70 on the first two days of competition, front row seats on the two finals days cost £275! All of the other prices fall somewhere on this scale, although you can get tickets to the side games or just grounds access for cheaper.
However, the main court is where all the most intense action will be, and most likely where most people will want to get tickets to.
The ticket price is part of the information you should know about Wimbledon.
Can you transfer Wimbledon tickets?
Wimbledon tickets are generally non-transferrable. However, there are exceptions to this. Notably, you can get specifically transferable tickets, called debentures if you intend to resell them.
Wimbledon does not encourage this, and any tickets without this specific word printed on them immediately become invalid if you attempt to resell them. But are Wimbledon debentures a good investment? In short, no.
Since tickets can be purchased directly from the Wimbledon website, and are nontransferable, debentures fill a very small niche that exists only to satisfy scalpers. Stick to buying your tickets through the Wimbledon website!
Who is playing in Wimbledon 2024?
The players competing in the 2024 running of the Wimbledon Championship have already been decided, and will feature 128 players in the men’s tournament and 128 players in the women’s tournament.
These rosters represent the best tennis players in the world at the time, including household names like Djokovic, Nadal, Andy Murray, and many others, as well as returning champion from Wimbledon 2023, Carlos Alcaraz.
The tournament structure will quickly whittle this down though, down to just 32 by the start of the second week! So if you have players you want to see specifically, be sure to catch them during their earliest matches.
Who has won the most Wimbledon titles?
The prestigious accolade of most Wimbledon titles belongs to none other than arguably the greatest player of all time, Roger Federer. He set this record in the mid 2000s into the early 2010s, winning five championships in a row as he did so, which also stands as a Wimbledon record.
This record is close to being equalled by Novak Djokovic, and would have been done so last year during the 2023 running of the championship, but for Djokovic’s loss in the finals to Carlos Alcaraz. Djokovic currently sits on seven titles, and with his career still ongoing is still aiming to match or beat Federer’s record!
How much is the Wimbledon trophy worth?
As well as being the most prestigious tournament in world tennis, the prize pool for the Wimbledon Championship is also enormous, one of the largest of any individual sporting event.
In 2023, this prize pool was £44.7 million, with the men’s and women’s individual champions taking home a staggering £2,350,000 each along with their trophy, and the respect of the whole tennis world.
This was the largest prize pool in the history of the event, and with tennis only continuing to grow as a sport, it is likely that in the coming years this number will only be set to rise.
How do the Wimbledon scores affect world ranking?
As one of the four grand slam events, the points on offer for a good result at Wimbledon are huge for any competitor.
Winning the event awards an impressive 2000 championship points, which is considerably more than winning any other event. In fact, even a second place at Wimbledon is worth almost as many points as a win at the next highest tier of tournament, to say nothing of the prestige!
So, how do you start competing in tennis tournaments yourself? Well, the simple answer is that you would need to start playing a LOT of tennis, but just hitting a ball with a racquet will not be enough!
If you want to really improve your game, whatever level you re at, getting training or instruction from an expert is the best way to improve.
This is where Superprof can come in! If you want to find a private tennis coach near you to help you elevate your game, then look no further than the wide range of tennis coaches on Superprof.
Whether you are looking to train specifically for an event, or a complete beginner just wanting to get started, there is a Superprof tutor for you. With Wimbledon right around the corner, and then all of the summer to play, there’s never been a better time to get started with tennis!
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