On July 9, 1877, the first Wimbledon Championship got underway, with the Gentlemen's Singles being the only match played. The event, which was to last five days, attracted 22 men who each paid a guinea to participate. The final was played on July 19, 1877, after it was postponed by rain for a further four days.
William Marshall was defeated 6-1, 6-2, and 6-4 by veteran Harrovian rackets player Spencer Gore in 48 minutes. The sports publication The Field gave Gore the silver challenge cup, worth 25 guineas and 12 guineas in prize money. Two hundred people paid one shilling each to purchase Wimbledon tickets for the inaugural final.
With the development around the sport, 2023 will mark a new beginning with revised clothing rules for the first time.
Current record-holders
At Wimbledon, Martina Navratilova holds the record for most singles victories. She set a record nine times at Wimbledon, including six straight years between 1982 and 1987. Eight men's singles championships have been won by Roger Federer, including five straight between 2003 and 2007. Between 1976 and 1980, Bjorn Borg also won five times in a row.At the All England Club, Andy Murray last won the men's singles title for Great Britain. He did so in 2013, defeating Novak Djokovic, and most recently, in 2016, against Milos Raonic. Virginia Wade, who defeated Betty Stove in the 1977 final, was the last British woman to win the women's singles title.
2022 Recap
The 2022 Wimbledon Championships was held at Wimbledon's All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, located in Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom. By defeating Nick Kyrgios in the championship match, Novak Djokovic successfully defended his gentlemen's singles title and won his 21st major championship.The current women's champion at the time, Ashleigh Barty, did not defend her title after quitting tennis in March 2022. Elena Rybakina won the women's singles title after defeating Ons Jabeur in the final.
Due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the AELTC disallowed Russian and Belarusian tennis players from competing this year. The WTA, ATP, and ITF responded by withdrawing ranking points from the competition.
Several past singles champions were invited to a special event on Sunday, July 3, 2022, to recognise the 100th anniversary of the opening of Centre Court in 1922 and the beginning of middle Sunday play. Sue Barker, Clare Balding, and John McEnroe served as the event's hosts.
John McEnroe paid respect to Sue Barker's thirty years of service as the BBC's Wimbledon presenter. The champions were listed chronologically within each category, from the most recent to the oldest, starting with the number of singles titles won.
Wimbledon 2023
The scheduled dates for Wimbledon 2023 are July 3 through July 16, 2023.The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Church Road, southwest London, is where Wimbledon will be played.
The facility features 18 championship courts, including Centre Court, No. 1 Court, and No. 2 Court, which are used as exhibition courts.
There currently needs to be more information on whether Russian and Belarusian athletes will be permitted to compete at Wimbledon or other events in the United Kingdom in 2023.
According to the tournament's organisers, the Middle Sunday will have a full schedule starting in 2022. The Middle Sunday was a leisure day until 2022, barring unusual circumstances. This move will undoubtedly attract more buyers for the 2023 Wimbledon tickets.
For the Middle Sunday, the organisers declared in October 2021 that they would publish a complete order of play to attract a wider audience, make the event more accessible, and reduce the hectic fourth-round schedule.
The move is set to see an increase in demand for Wimbledon tickets.
With the introduction of Middle Sunday, the fourth-round singles schedule will be divided across Sunday and Monday, ending the practice of having all of the matches for the fourth round of the men's and women's draws on the same day.Sally Bolton is the chief executive officer of the AELTC, the club that hosts the Championships. She will be acting as director of the tournament.
Prize Money increased
According to the organisers, the prize money has been significantly increased, making it the most lucrative one of the four Grand Slams with payouts for victors.This year's Wimbledon prize money totals a little over £40.35 million ($49.55 million), up 15 per cent from the 2021 competition and more than six per cent from the previous record in 2019.
This means Wimbledon has a fund of about £3.7 million ($4.1 million) less than the Australian Open and £6.9 million ($8.1 million) less than the US Open. Still, it pays out about £2.6 million ($3.2 million) more to players than the French Open.
The prize money for the singles competition winners will be $2 million ($2.5 million), a significant increase over the $2.1 million ($1.7 million) earned by Ash Barty and Novak Djokovic in 2021.
There is no gender difference in prize money. The winning doubles team splits £540,000 ($662,000).
Wimbledon singles champions receive the highest prize money of any major, except for the US Open, which offers around the same payout.
The winners in Melbourne took home £1.7 million ($2.1 million), while Roland-Garros gave its champions £1.9 million ($2.3 million) in 2021.
Clothing restrictions relaxed
The Wimbledon dress code will be relaxed to accommodate female players donning dark undershorts if they so choose, the tournament's officials announced on Thursday, A welcome move by all fans with Wimbledon tickets.The choice was made after the competition's organisers came under increasing pressure to allay concerns that menstruating athletes would have blood visible on their white clothing.
All England Club chief executive Sally Bolton said, "We are committed to helping the players and listening to their comments on how they can perform at their best."
"I'm happy to confirm that the Committee of Management has decided to alter the white clothing restriction at Wimbledon after consulting with players and representatives of various stakeholder groups."
"The ladies and girls competing in The Championships starting will have the option to wear coloured undershorts if they so want."
"We think that by removing a possible source of concern, this rule tweak will help players focus solely on their performance."
Wimbledon had a strict all-white dress code until the new decision; it was first put in place to hide perspiration stains.
Campaigners gathered at SW19 for this year's event with signs reading "About bloody time" and "Address the clothing code." The competition's tight dress code had come under attack.
Numerous women, such as former Olympic gold medalist Monica Puig and Australian tennis player Daria Saville, discussed the "emotional tension" brought on by the all-white attire restriction and how they had to start "skipping periods."
Additionally, in a recent interview with CNN's Amanda Davies, tennis legend Billie Jean King revealed that the dress requirement had given her and her fellow competitors concern.
King also noted that the need for all-white attire makes it challenging for spectators to tell one player from another on the court.
With the pandemic well and truly over within the UK, Wimbledon is set to host games at total capacity. The rise of British star Emma Raducanu to glory has propelled increasing interest in the game in the UK. Now more than ever, Wimbledon tickets are in high demand, so official retailers might not be the most accessible place for you to be assured of a ticket. Trusted reseller sites can help you source Wimbledon tickets.
