With Wimbledon 2015 just around the corner fans are getting ready to enjoy another fascinating fortnight of action at the oldest and most historic of the four Grand Slams.
This year’s tournament runs from Monday 29th June until Sunday 12th July and fans can still get tickets if they have their wits about them.
Total prize money for the players has risen by 7%. That means £1.88m each is on offer for the Singles Champions and Novak Djokovic and Petra Kvitová will be fighting hard to defend their titles.
Ahead of the tournament Ticketbis.net have compiled an essential guide for Wimbledon 2015, including some fun facts about the history and the modern day goings on at the Championships.
Did you know only seven Championships have been recorded as being without rain interruptions since 1922? Those were 1931, 1976, 1977, 1993, 1995, 2009, 2010.
Read on to find out more!
History
The Ladies’ Singles Plate has been contested since 1884, whilst the Men’s Singles (Challenge Cup) has been disputed since 1877.
Current champions
Novak Djokovic (Gentlemen’s Singles)
Petra Kvitová (Ladies’ Singles)
Players
More than 750 players will participate (757 in 2014 including qualifying)
Prize Money for 2015
Singles Champions: £1.88m
Total: £26.75m
Attendance
Total attendance for 2014 Championships: 491,084.
Up to 39,000 spectators per day.
Matches
660 during fortnight
Longest Match
2010, Court 18, played over three days
John Isner (USA) beat Nicolas Mahut (FRA) 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (7), 7-6 (3), 70-68
11 hours 5 mins duration
Final set lasted 8hrs 11mins.
Most Aces in one championship
Men: 212 – Goran Ivanisevic (CRO) 2001
Ladies: 57 – Alexandra Stevenson (USA) 1999, Serena Williams (USA) 2008
Fastest Ever Serve at Wimbledon
Men: 148mph – Taylor Dent – 2010
Women: 129mph – Venus Williams – 2008
English Summer Weather
Only seven Championships have been recorded as being without rain interruptions
since 1922: 1931, 1976, 1977, 1993, 1995, 2009, 2010.
Courts
19 Championships grass courts (Centre Court, Court Number 1, plus 17 more).
There is no court number 13!
Grass
Championships playing height 8mm.
Hawk
Rufus, a Harris Hawk, visits the Club most weeks in the year to provide a deterrent to local pigeons.
Balls
54,250 used during The Championships period
No thank you
Fans have been told by Wimbledon’s organisers they can leave their selfie sticks at home, whilst of course the players must avoid wearing bright coloured clothes and keep to mainly white shirts and shorts or skirts.
Getting tickets
Queue
The 2015 Queue starts at 8am on Sunday 28 June. Only a few tickets are available each day for the show courts.
Ground tickets
Buy tickets on the day for standing room and unreserved seating across courts 3-19. But you cannot get into Centre Court or Courts 1 or 2.
Go online
Get resold Debenture day tickets through sites like Ticketbis.net
Ballot
Go in for the Ballot run by All England Lawn Tennis Club. Write to AELTC (P.O. BOX 98, London SW19 5AE) for ballot form, but this has to be sent by December of previous year. Your chances of getting tickets are around 1 in 10.
Royal box
Wimbledon’s Royal Box has 74 seats and getting an invite into this elite area is tricky but President Clinton has managed it and the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton has found a way in for life!
Become a Member
Join the All England Lawn Tennis Club. There are 375 members, 100 temporary Members elected each year. If you have been good enough to win Wimbledon you can be invited!
Become a Debenture Holder
Sign a cheque for about £50,000 for Centre Court Debentures, or £20,000 for Court number 1 and send it to Wimbledon! Debentures only happen every five years.
Tournaments
There are 12 tournaments held annually as part of the Championships:
Gentlemen’s Singles
Ladies’ Singles
Gentlemen’s Doubles
Ladies’ Doubles
Mixed Doubles
Boys’ Singles
Girls’ Singles
Boys’ Doubles
Girls’ Doubles
Wheelchair Gentlemen’s Doubles
Wheelchair Ladies’ Doubles
Gentlemen’s Senior Invitation Doubles
Refreshments
At the largest single annual sporting catering operation in Europe, these quantities
are supplied by Championships’ caterers over the fortnight of play.
350,000 cups of tea and coffee
230,000 glasses of Pimm’s
100,000 pints of draught beer and lager
142,000 portions of English strawberries
