The 2017 edition of the Wimbledon Tournament is now well and truly underway and we have already been treated to some great action. For starters, a 40 year wait for a British woman in a singles’ semi-final is now over, due to the incredible heroics from Johanna Konta who has stormed into the semi-finals on the back of impressive wins. We have also witnessed one of the longest matches in the Wimbledon Tournament that ran for four straight hours and 47 minutes, though considerably shorter in comparison to the 2010 Isner – Mahut match which played out for 11 hours and 5 minutes. These are just some of the many surprising facts in the history of the Wimbledon Tournament. All time top 10 surprising facts about the Tournament are revealed by this infographic which illustrates in more detail.
Here’s a snapshot of some these facts below:
- There is no doubt that the Wimbledon Tournament is a global attraction which brings together diverse people from all corners of the world, from South Africa to Iceland and from the United States to China. With such a huge following, one would be mistaken to think that companies will be jostling to showcase their products and advertise their services. However, this is not the case as the Wimbledon Tournament does not allow any form of advertising.
- As has already been alluded to in the opening statement, it has taken nearly 40 years for a British woman to be a semi-finalist since the feat was last achieved by Jo Durie in 1984. British performance has not been spectacular in recent memory; the last British winner in the men’s singles category is Andy Murray who did so in 2013.
- The Wimbledon Tournament has not managed to ride the wave of technological change in the sporting industry but has, on the contrary, managed to preserve its environmentally-friendly appeal. In a world in which technology has changed all aspects of life, including some other tennis tournaments, Wimbledon has managed to keep the Tournament being played on natural ryegrass as opposed to artificial turf.
- The Wimbledon Tournament is a classy affair and this is most exemplified by the criteria used to select Ball Boys and Ball Girls. In order for players to be nominated as such, they will have to pass a written and a fitness test along with other strict assessments. In terms of age requirements, nominees have to be 15 years or slightly older to qualify as a BB or a BG.
- In Britain, the Commonwealth and generally all other countries, the Queen reigns Supreme and this is no exception at the Wimbledon Tournament. When the Queen or the Prince of Wales attend a match at the Tournament, players are required to bow at the Royal Box.
- All Wimbledon matches are played at the All England Centre Court, and the court does not accommodate any other tournaments or events apart from Wimbledon. There has only been one exception to this rule though, where Britain hosted the Olympic Games at this very court.
- The Wimbledon Tournament holds its proud record of being among the few first live events broadcasted live on television. The British Broadcasting Corporation first aired the Wimbledon Tournament live on June 21, 1937.
- The Wimbledon Tournament runs for 2 to 3 weeks, starting from the last week of June into July. This has made the Tournament to face one major challenge which is rain-induced stoppages during matches. However, the problem has been rectified as there are now retractable roofs at all the four main courts.
- The name of the tournament, Wimbledon, came from the town in which the tournament is hosted. Wimbledon is located in the South West of London.
- The tournament celebrates 140 years in 2017 since its inception in 1877, and Wimbledon enjoys its longevity to present day. It is one of the oldest sporting events in the world alongside the US Open in golf and the Football World Cup.
