Wimbledon. The single most anticipated tennis event of the year is fast approaching, and with it, the thrills and excitement of watching the world’s best tennis players fight for the championship. Yet, if you are new to the thrilling world of professional tennis, don’t fret—here is the information you’ll need to understand how the championship works.
What is Wimbledon?
Wimbledon is considered to be, by most tennis players and fans alike, the Super Bowl of tennis. It is the world’s oldest tennis tournament, beginning in 1877, and has been held at the All England Club in London every year since. Wimbledon is one of four Grand Slam or Major tennis tournaments, and is the only one of the four still played on grass, the sport’s original surface.
When is Wimbledon?
Wimbledon is held over two weeks in late June and early July, and in 2014, the 137th Wimbledon Championships will take place beginning Monday,
June 23rd and end Sunday, July 6th.
How do players qualify?
To qualify to play at Wimbledon, players must achieve a rank of 200 or better through matches played during the previous year in either the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for men, or in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTP), for women. The top-ranking players are directly accepted into the Wimbledon Championships, while the rest of the players compete in three days of qualifying matches held one week before the actual tournament. In total, the best 128 women will qualify for the women’s singles tournament and the best 128 men will qualify for the men’s singles tournament. In the doublestournament, a total of 128 teams will qualify, 64 of them men’s doubles and the other 64 women’s doubles.
In addition, since 1977 there have been Wild Card players that are selected to compete in the championship not by their rankings, but by their other qualities and skills, such as past Wimbledon appearances. Sometimes, these Wild Card players are chosen solely to draw additional interest to the event through the choosing of popular players, or players who were injured during the qualifying rounds.
What is the prize?
The champion of the men’s singles tournament receives a gilded silver cup bearing the inscription, “All England Lawn Tennis Club Single Handed Championship of the World”. The women’s singles champion receives a sterling silver dish often referred to as the ‘Venus Rosewater Dish’, decorated with mythological figures. The winners of the doubles events receive a silver cup, and runners-up receive an inscribed silver plate. Trophies are presented to the winners by Prince Edward, president of the All England Lawn Tennis Club.
Winners not only receive trophies for their success—since 1968, prize money has also been awarded to players, and a great deal of it too. The winner of both the men’s and women’s singles tournament receive £1,600,000, or about $2,687,520. Prize money is also awarded to every player all the way up to the first-round losers, who receive £23,500 or about $40,000.
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