Tipped to be the most coveted sporting events in the British calendar the grass lawn Grand Slam that is Wimbledon is no ordinary summer tennis tournament in merry old England. Holding the distinct honour of being the oldest tennis competition in the globe the Wimbledon Championships as it’s officially known is also the most prestigious tennis event of the calendar year. Often compared to the Olympics due to its rich history and grand traditions, winning a trophy at this iconic event is the dream of many a tennis player regardless of nationality and age. As the only major Grand Slam that is played on grass courts Wimbledon differs from the three other majors in the tennis year, the Australian Open, US Open and the clay court Roland Garros tournament also known as the French Open.
The 2014 installment of this renowned championship will be the 137th in the event’s history as the first tournament was organized by the All England Club which still hosts the competition, as far back as 1877. Conducted in the grass courts of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club the contest includes men’s, women’s and doubles contests, taking place across two weeks during the latter half June and the first weeks of July. As the only tournament in which the game is played on the original surface of what was then known as “lawn tennis” Wimbledon is considered the most challenging of the four Grand Slams.
Complete with a strict dress code for players, tennis games at Wimbledon are also synonymous with royal patronage and attendance as well as the consumption of strawberries and cream by on-looking fans.
The reigning champion this year is none other than Britain’s own Andy Murray who claimed the title for its native country after a drought of decades in which the championship was won by tennis greats from other nationalities including U.S’s Pete Sampras and Switzerland’s Roger Federer who both secured the men’s singles title a record seven times.
Boasting the largest prize money for a tennis tournament the Wimbledon championships dispended a whopping total of £22,560,000 in 2013. The 2014 contest is due to kick off on the 23rd of June,2014 and the tournament will conclude on the 6th of July crowning new men’s, women’s and doubles champions.
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Pushpitha Wijesinghe is an experienced independent freelance writer. He specializes in providing a wide variety of content and articles related to the travel hospitality industry.