The 133rd edition of the Wimbledon Championship is just a few days away as the most prestigious grand slam is about to begin. Wimbledon is known for its rich history and traditions which is followed by people at SW 19 for two weeks every year.
Those lush green grass courts and the all-white dress code are some of the most iconic tradition that makes Wimbledon unique. These Traditions separates Wimbledon from the rest of the Grandslams. Wimbledon is considered not just a tennis grand slam, but the classiest sporting event in the world. No wonder that it is one of the most famous, important and glamorous tournament in the world. Here are some of the most iconic traditions that take place at Wimbledon Every Year.
1. Dress Code
Wimbledon has the strictest dress codes out of all the 4 majors in tennis. Players are only allowed to wear white while playing at Wimbledon. In the year 2014, the Wimbledon club issued a 10-part ‘ decree’ rule that all the players were asked to follow.
Some of the rules were:
“White does not include off-white or cream”
“There should be only a single trim of colour which should not be wider than 1cm’’
Even the colour of the undergarments that are visible should be white.
This rule of players wearing an all-white dress code started since its inception in 1877, and the All-England club since then has been extremely strict regarding this rule. All the officials and ball girls and boys also wore white till 2006 but after that the rule changed as club approached American Designer Ralph Lauren for designing all the outfits of the officials of the colour navy blue and cream.
2. The Playing Surface
Wimbledon is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, which started way back in the year 1877. Wimbledon is the only grand slam that has been continued to be played on its original surface which is grass. At the start, all four major Grand Slams were played on grass but Wimbledon is the only Grand slam that is now played on grass. French Open is now played on clay whereas Australian Open and US Open is now played on Hard Courts.
3. No Advertisements on Court
At Wimbledon, one would never see the Advertisements on the court. Wimbledon has not had any sponsor advertising around the courts. All the other sporting events will definitely have logos and names of the sponsors, but Wimbledon has continued its rich tradition of having no advertisements on the court. Apart from a tiny logo of Rolex on the scoreboard, there are no advertisements on show. The Club has always sought to retain its charm and unique image of the championships.
4. BBG’s
At Wimbledon, all the by girls and boys are called as BBG’s that play a vital role in the proper and smooth functioning of the tournament. They are advised to do the work quietly on the court and are advised to always stay in the background quietly. There are teams divided for BBG’s of 6 into 2 at the net and 4 at the corners. The teams rotate after every one hour on the court and they get one hour off the day’s play. Every year at Wimbledon, 250 ball boys and girls are employed to work. The average age of BBG’s is 15 years and they earn around £150, for two weeks that they work.
5. Strawberries and Cream
Wimbledon is also famous for Strawberries and cream that are served to the spectators, as the typical stand food at the tournament. The rich tradition of serving strawberries began in the year 1953 and the cream was added in 1970. This has become one of the major traditions at Wimbledon. Around 9,000 servings are prepared every day, using the highest quality strawberries from the country of Kent. Each year at the championships, 28,00 kg of strawberries are eaten along with 7,000 liters of strawberries.
6. Prize Money
The winner of the gentlemen’s events initially was awarded much more than the winner of the ladies event. But 12 years ago, in 2007 the rule changed and equal prize money is now given to both Gentlemen’s and ladies. The decision was controversial as many people suggested that the Prize money should not be equal was Ladies spend considerably less time on the court as compared to the Gentlemen. The Ladies match is a best of three sets match whereas the Men play a best of five sets match and that is why the prize money was not equal. But in 2007, there was a change in Wimbledon’s policy and since then the prize money is now equal for both.
7. The Royal Box Tradition
The Royal family is loyal supporters of the Wimbledon Championships, and have been seen attending matches on the center court almost every year. The Queen of Wimbledon is the official sponsor of the All England club and often visit Wimbledon to meet the players and people associated with the event. The Royal family sits in the Royal box, and more tradition that the players followed earlier was that they had to courtesy all the members of the Royal Family. This rule was changed by the Duke of Kent who also happens to be the president of the All England Club in the year 2003. Now only if the monarch or the prince of Wales is present, the players just have to courtesy them.
8. Centre Court
During World War II, 5 bombs hit the center court of Wimbledon that destroyed around 1200 seats of the stadium. Now the center Court has a seating capacity of 15,000 and a roof that helps in completing matches even during rain.
9. Ladies and Gentleman
Even after all these years, Wimbledon references the men’s and women’s events as Gentlemen and Ladies respectively. This tradition is only followed by Wimbledon and at all other Grand Slam, players are pronounced by their names. Females are referred to as ‘Miss’ or ‘Mrs’ according to their marital status, but there is no preference for any male player as ‘Mr’.
10. The Queue at Wimbledon
The Wimbledon Queue is a lineup for the same day Wimbledon Tickets, that are made available for the fans on every day of the championships with exception of the last four days at the center court. Thousands of fans line up every day for hours, and many of them also come in overnight at a field which is near to the stadium, hoping to receive an exclusive wristband that represents the exact number of tickets available.
11. Trophies
The men’s winner is presented with a silver gilt cup which is 18 inches tall and the words which are engraved on the trophy are “ The All England Lawn Tennis Club single handed champion of the world”. The women’s champion is presented with the silver Venus Rosewater Dish, which is 18 inches in diameter and also came into existence one year before the men’s trophy. The Winners name was engraved on the trophy but by 2009, there was no space left and that is why a black plinth with a silver band was added so that the champions name can be added.
