With Wimbledon 2015 just around the corner tennis fans are getting ready to enjoy another fortnight packed with action at the oldest and most historic of the four Grand Slams.
This year’s tournament runs from June 29 until July 12 and fans can still get their mitts on tickets if they have their wits about them.
Ahead of the tournament Ticketbis.net have compiled a guide for this year’s Grand Slam including some fun facts about the history and the modern day goings on at the Championships.
So sit back, relax and munch on some strawberries while reading about the greatest Grand Slam of them all.
History
The Ladies’ Singles Plate has been contested since 1886, while the Men’s Singles (Challenge Cup) has been disputed since 1887.
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
Wimbledon tennis single champions will net a colossal £1.88m in prize money during this year’s tournament – the highest ever in professional tennis.
Building on what the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) has described as ‘very significant increases’ in prize money over the past three years players at The Championships 2015 will receive a total of £26.75m – an increase of 7% from 2014.
Attendance
In 2014 491,084 tennis-mad spectators watched the on-court action, with up to 39,000 spectators a day going to the ground.
Prince William, Kate Middleton, Samuel L Jackson and David and Victoria Beckham were just some of the famous faces spotted in the Centre Court crowd at the final between Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.
Longest Match
The longest match was in 2010 on Court 18 which was played over three leg-aching days.
John Isner (USA) beat Nicolas Mahut (FRA) 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (7), 7-6 (3), 70-68 in a match that lasted 11 hours and five minutes, with their final set lasted 8hrs 11mins.
Most Aces in one championship
In 2001 Goran Ivanisevic (CRO) netted 212 aces, while Americans Alexandra Stevenson,1999, and Serena Williams, 2008, both scored 57.
Fastest Ever Serve at Wimbledon
The ball boys and girls at Wimbledon had better hold onto their hats (and anything else precious!) as the fastest ever serve at Wimbledon was recorded in 2010 at a whopping 148mph.
Venus Williams represents the women by hitting a 129mph serve in 2008.
English Summer Weather
The Wimbledon courts are a lush green for a reason – the wet English summer weather.
Did you know only seven Championships have been recorded as being without rain interruptions since 1922? Those were 1931, 1976, 1977, 1993, 1995, 2009 and 2010.
Hawk
Rufus, a Harris Hawk, visits the club most weeks in the year to be a deterrent to pigeons.
New balls please
Approximately 54,250 are used during The Championships period. That’s a lot of balls!
No thank you
Selfie sticks have been given the (tennis) elbow by Wimbledon organisers who have banned them from the courts, while players must adhere to the strict dress code of sticking to mainly white shirts and shorts or skirts and avoid wearing bright coloured clothes.
Getting tickets
Queue
The 2015 queue starts at 8am on Sunday June 28 with only a few precious tickets available each day for the show courts.
Ground tickets
You can buy tickets on the day for standing room and unreserved seating across courts 3-19, but you can’t get into Centre Court or Courts 1 or 2.
Go online
Get resold Debenture day tickets through sites like Ticketbis.net
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 – you never know!
Refreshments
At the largest single annual sporting catering operation in Europe, these quantities are supplied by Championships’ caterers over the fortnight of play.
Around 350,000 cups of tea and coffee are sipped, 230,000 glasses of Pimm’s are quaffed, 100,000 pints of draught beer and lager are necked while 142,000 portions of English strawberries are chomped down on.
Featured picture courtesy of Roo Reynolds, with thanks
