Wimbledon

Introduction & research question

The subject of my assignment is Wimbledon. I play tennis myself, so that’s one of the reasons for choosing this subject. I also like to watch tennis, though I don’t do it very often because I always forget, but I like it! When I was a little boy, I played tennis too. I’ve quit for a couple of years, and now I’m doing it again.

My research question is: how did Wimbledon exist.

The greatest winners

Every Wimbledon tournament has twenty winners. The greatest tennis players participate in every Wimbledon tournament.
The greatest male winners:

Bjorn Borg (left): Five Wimbledon single titles in 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979 and 1980.
Pete Sampras: Seven Wimbledon single titles. He won them in 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000.

The greatest female winners:

Martina Navratilova: Nine Wimbledon single titles. She won them in 1978, 1979, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987 and 1990. Steffi Graff (left): Six Wimbledon single titles, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1995 and 1996.

The origin and history of Wimbledon

Wimbledon, also known as the British Open, is a tennis tournament, which takes place every year. It’s a Grand Slam Tournament in Wimbledon, a suburb of South-West London. Wimbledon, usually held in June/July, is the third Grand Slam Tournament played each year, after the Australian Open and the French Open. The US Open follows Wimbledon.
The first (amateur) Wimbledon championships took place in 1877. This really was an English affair. The tournament was called The Lawn Tennis Championships then, and was organised by the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. It was not allowed for women to participate, so the only event held was the men’s single. In 1884, tournaments for men and women were added. These were men’s and ladies double. No British man has won the singles event at Wimbledon since Fred Perry in 1936, and no British woman since Virginia Wade in 1977.

Around 1900, Wimbledon had become a popular and worthy tennis tournament. In 1922, a new complex was built at the Church Road. This building was able to give seats to 14.000 visitors. This really promoted the popularity and size of the Wimbledon tournament.

Today, the Wimbledon tournament is one of the most prestigious and important tennis tournaments to many people. Wimbledon is the biggest tournament played on grass, for sure. The British character of Wimbledon gives the tournament just that what it needs to make it kind of unique. Some typical things of Wimbledon are, for example: everybody has to be dressed and white, and everyone who participates eats lots of strawberries and whipped cream.
Also, Wimbledon has it’s own system for the placing of players in the schedule, which is often criticized by many different people. This system doesn’t even look like all of the other systems. It’s not based on the rank of the players, but on the prestations they think they are going to make.

The tournament normally takes two weeks. The schedule is as follows:

· Four qualifying rounds
· The quarterfinals
· The semifinals
· The final

Wimbledon isn’t just one tournament. There are separated tournaments for men and women singles, doubles and mixed doubles and even a tournament for junior players.

Wimbledon facts

· Green and purple are the traditional and official colors of Wimbledon.
· As is said before, everybody has to be dressed in white.
· Everybody, at least almost everybody, eats strawberries and whipped cream at Wimbledon. That’s one of the most famous Wimbledon traditions.
· The most important games are played on the Center Court. Court #2 is also known as The Graveyard. This is because players who look stronger on paper have been beaten by players who (should be) not as strong as they are, and this happened not just once!
· On one of the days of the tournament, school kids can come watch a game for free.
· The prize for the men’s and women’s champions has been given to the champions the same way, every year. The Duchess of Kent with her husband, the Duke of Kent, always do this.

The tournament begins each year six weeks before the first Monday of August. Traditionally, there are no games played on the “Middle Sunday”. Sometimes, rain has forced play on the Middle Sunday. During the first week, the qualifying rounds are played. During the second week the “Round of Sixteen”, the quarterfinals, the semifinals and finals are held.

The men’s singles champion receives a silver gilt trophy. This trophy is (over) eighteen inches. The women’s singles champion receives a silver salver. This prize is almost nineteen inches in diameter. It’s also known as the “Rosewater Dish” or the “Venus Rosewater Dish”.
The prize money isn’t the same every year, but here’s a list of the prize money of Wimbledon in 2004:

· Men’s singles: £602,500
· Women’s singles: £560,500
· Men’s doubles: £215,000
· Women’s doubles: £200,000
· Mixed doubles: £90,000

As you can see, the pro tennis players earn tons of money for playing a tournament like this. I’m kind of envious…

Wimbledon – the movie

There also is a movie about Wimbledon. The movie is about a tennis player, Peter Colt, who was once in the 11th place in the world ranking. But now, he’s not doing well. He has reached the 159th place and is thinking about retirement. He announces it, and a lot of people are disappointed.
Then, he meets Lizzie Bradbury, a great American tennis star who just might conquer the Wimbledon title. They’re going to spend some time together, which leads to some ups and downs. Eventually, the end is kind of predictable.

Peter gets “private lessons” from Lizzie, and he just keeps practicing. And, from meaning nothing to tennis, he’s in the news everyday, one moment – all because he manages to get a wild card, so he can participate in the tournament. Everyone talks about him, about his major comeback and his wonderful matches. His rank is improving, a lot, and fast! And all that, thanks to Lizzie.

General information