Wimbledon
Wimbledon, commonly referred to as Wimbledon, is the oldest major championship in tennis.
Held annually between late June and the beginning of July for two weeks (usually ending, at the latest, on the second Sunday of July) at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London, England, the tournament is the third Grand Slam event played each year, preceded by the Australian Open and the French Open, and followed by the U.S. Open. The tournament duration is subject to extensions for rain.
Grounds
Wimbledon is the only Grand Slam event played on grass courts. At one time, all the other Grand Slam events were played on grass. The French Open abandoned grass for its current red clay in 1928, while the U.S. and Australian Opens stayed with grass for decades longer. The U.S. Open abandoned grass for a synthetic clay surface in 1975 and changed again to a hard surface (DecoTurf) with its 1978 move to its current venue. The Australian Open abandoned grass for Rebound Ace, a different type of hard surface, in 1988, and switched to yet another type of hard surface, Plexicushion, in 2008.
Due to possibility of rain during Wimbledon, a retractable roof is planned for the court, which is expected to be completed in 2009. The retractable roof is said to be designed to close/open in under 10 minutes and will be closed primarily to protect play from inclement (and, if necessary, extremely hot) weather during The Championships. Also, during the time of its opening/closing, play will be suspended. The court has a capacity of almost 14,000. At its south end is the Royal Box, from which members of the Royal Family and other dignitaries watch matches. Centre Court usually hosts the finals and semifinals of the main events, as well as many matches in the earlier rounds involving top-seeded players or local favourites.
Trophies and prize money
At Wimbledon, more prize money was traditionally awarded in the Gentlemen's events than in the Ladies' events. However, as of 2007 prize money is equal at all levels (in part in response to a powerful protest by tennis player Venus Williams). This makes Wimbledon policy identical to that of the Australian Open, US Open, and most recently the French Open. In 2005, Wimbledon prize money exceeded a total of £10 million (£10,085,510) total for the first time. The sums awarded to the winners of each of the main events in 2007 are as follows (the amounts shown for the doubles events are per pair):
- Gentlemen's Singles Winner £700,000 (US $1,408,181.53)
- Ladies' Singles Winner £700,000 (US $1,408,181.53)
- Gentlemen's Doubles Winners £222,900 (US $448,405.23)
- Ladies' Doubles Winners £222,900 (US $448,405.23)
- Mixed Doubles Winners £90,000 (US $181,051.91)
2007 was the first year that both the Gentlemen's and Ladies' Singles had the same prize money. Total prize money at Wimbledon 2007 was nearly 9% more than in 2006.
Champions
Among the four major titles, Wimbledon is the one that generates the most anxiety for the British. This is due to the fact that not only has no British player won a Wimbledon singles title since 1977, but no Brit has even been in the final since then. Therefore, all the British (especially the English) usually will rally around a single countryman to bring back the glory.