If the main dream of every tennis player is to win Wimbledon There is a reason. With its 147 years of life, it is the oldest and most prestigious tournament of all time. It is the symbol of tradition par excellence: the last Slam still played on grass, a surface that is increasingly rare, the only one that can afford not to have sponsors on the banners at the edge of the court and to maintain the iron tradition of forcing players to take to the court “mostly dressed in white”. As Gianni Clerici once wrote: “Wimbledon is something more than a tournament, it is a religion. It is the Vatican of tennis. It is like a Catholic going on a pilgrimage to St. Peter’s”.
Always at the All England Club: Green and purple since 1909
The tournament starts on Monday 1st July si disputa all’All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club which is one of the most exclusive clubs in the world, with just 375 permanent members, around one hundred provisional members, plus honorary members which include tournament winners and those who have provided an important service in some way to the Championships. The club’s official colors are dark green and purple. They were introduced in 1909 to replace the previous colors: blue, yellow, red and green. The decision was made to distinguish itself from those of the Royal Marines, which were practically identical. The green and purple in the plant is also recreated thanks to thousands of Petunia Calibrachoa plants.
On the 19 fields, grass care lasts all year round
Everything about the 19 fields where you play is done with obsessive care. The 15 gardeners who take care of the Perennial ryegrass make sure that it is cut strictly to the height of 8mm, not one more and not one less. Work on the surface begins immediately after the end of each tournament and lasts all year. According to experts, the turf change in 2001 made the surface slower than in the past. The Wimbledon groundsmen have an “X” account (https://twitter.com/aeltcgroundsman) followed by over 17 thousand followers.
A hawk to protect the fields from pigeons
Per protect grass fields from pigeons The organizers have equipped themselves with a falcon named Rufuswhich flies over the fields from 9 am until an hour before the gates open. Rufus, who is a pet, has an “X” account (https://twitter.com/rufusthehawk) with over 11 thousand followers and in 2012 he was also kidnapped. Fortunately he was quickly recaptured and brought home.
The traditional cup of strawberries with cream
For those who are lucky enough or tenacious enough to get a ticket to enter Wimbledon, it is also a must to get a typical strawberry cup with cream. This has been the traditional food served at the All England Tennis Club since the 19th century. On average, over 110,000 portions are served, for a total of 30 tons of strawberries and 8,000 liters of cream. Not to mention the 300,000 cups of tea drunk during the tournament, the 90,000 pints of beer and the 12,000 bottles of champagne, the latter served strictly with a slice of salmon.
The oddity of the pineapple on top of the cup
The cup destined for the winner of the men’s tournament is 45.7 cm high and has a diameter of 19 cm. It is made of gilded silver and weighs 3.5 kg. The writing ‘The All England Lawn Tennis Club Single Handed Championship of the World’ is clearly visible, with the year and name of previous winners engraved. However, with the 2008 edition won by Nadal, the space available for subsequent engravings ran out, so it was decided to add a base with a silver ornamental band to continue the tradition in the following years. The main feature (and the most curious) is the pineapple that sits on top of the cup. There is no official explanation, but two more accredited versions: there are those who trace it back to the fact that the captains of British ships placed a pineapple in front of their homes once they returned from a long journey, as evidence of the fact that they had gone far in the name of the queen and of having returned to her homeland, and there are those who believe that it was placed so that the trophy had something unique and exclusive, just like a pineapple was in England at the end of the 19th century.
Yellow balls since 1985, no more Sundays off
The Central program on the first Monday of the tournament is strictly opened by the reigning champion. Players were once required to bow to the Royal Stand a few steps after entering, as a sign of homage to the British Royal Family. This tradition was abolished in 2003, except when the King or the Prince of Wales is in the stands. Other traditions have continued at Wimbledon for decades: from the balls, which were strictly white until 1985, to the fact that on the Sunday in between the tournament traditionally stopped and the club closed the gates. The constant interruptions due to rain, which forced the organizers to make an exception in 1991, 1997, 2004 and 2016, ultimately prompted a review of the schedule of the competition days.
Central open only for Wimbledon: only exception in 2012
Il Centre Court hosts tennis matches exclusively for the Wimbledon tournament. The match point in the men’s final pulls down the curtain on Centrale until the following year. There was only one exception, in 2012, when the All England Club hosted the London Olympic tournament, with matches also on Center Court. Andy Murray won the gold medal, defeating Roger Federer in the final.
The longest game ever: in 2010
Speaking of matches, Wimbledon will forever hold, given the change in the rules, the record of having seen them played at the All England Club. the longest match in history. It happened on June 24, 2010: on field no. 18 the American John Isner took 11 hours and 5′, spread over 3 days, to overcome the French Nicolas Mahut with a score of 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (7/9), 7-6 (7/ 3), 70-68.
