B&M’s Wonderful Guide to Wimbledon 2015
23 June 2015
From 29th June Centre Court will stage the likes of Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova as they go head to head for victory in south London.
And while we all know tennis is about strawberries, cream and a cold glass of Pimm’s, here’s what you might not know about Wimbledon…
How many balls are used at Wimbledon?
It’s hard to imagine it, but the famous yellow ball wasn’t always yellow! The popularity of watching tennis on TV saw the traditional white ball ditched in favour of the brighter yellow in 1986, which was more visible to television viewers.
An estimated 54,250 balls are rallied back and forth by players, and picked up and rolled across by ball boys and girls during The Championships.
Who has scored the most aces ever?
John Isner served 113 aces in his historic win over Nicolas Mahut at the 2010 Wimbledon Championships! The most aces ever recorded in a single match!
What do the winners receive?
While professionals we’re permitted to enter the Championships back in 1968, equality between men and women was only balanced out in 2007, with women finally receiving the same amount in prize money as men. This year’s singles champions will pocket a grand-slamming £1.88m each!
Can’t win? Don’t worry! You don’t need to progress very far to earn an easy buck. Those who exit the tournament in the first-round will receive £29,000! Just for turning up!
Who is the youngest Wimbledon winner?
We’re more used to seeing the ageing Boris Becker in the commentary box nowadays, but the veteran coach knows his way around the court. The German was the youngest male player ever to win Wimbledon, aged just 17 when he triumphed in 1985!
How many people watch Wimbledon on TV?
Just two BBC cameras were used to capture the first televised game in 1937 and the BBC made history when it broadcast its first colour pictures from Wimbledon in 1967.
The Championships reach an estimated global TV audience of over 1 billion people across almost 200 territories in 2014. Novak Djokovic’s victory in last year’s men’s final drew a peak audience of 10 million viewers, while the ladies’ final saw 3.1m viewers tune in. (BBC). Andy Murray’s victory in 2013 drew a peak audience of 17.3 million.
Did you know...
- Tennis was initially played with just hands! Racquets were introduced as far back as the 14th century, with today’s recognisable racquet first patented in 1847.
- Approximately 24 tons of strawberries are ordered for Wimbledon every year!
- An estimated 200,000 glasses of Pimm’s are raised (and downed!) at SW19 during the tournament.
- But nothing beats a good cup of tea! 300,000 cups of the stuff are consumed by Brits before Championship point.
- Wimbledon has 13 official suppliers, from official ball (Slazenger) and timekeeper (Rolex) to official outfitter (Ralph Lauren) and car (Hertz)!
- 132 years after the first championship, Wimbledon is the oldest international tennis tournament in the world.
