26/06/2026
Oh WIMBLEDON, how we look forward to you arriving each year! 🎾🌱
From its humble beginnings in 1877 to the world-stage spectacle we love today, the Wimbledon Championships are packed with incredible history and quirky traditions.
Here is how the world's oldest tennis tournament evolved into the ultimate summer tradition and maybe for some, a welcome distraction from that other tournament:
⏳ The Evolution
• 1877: Just 22 men entered the inaugural tournament at Worple Road after seeing an advert in The Field magazine. A tiny crowd of 200 watched Spencer Gore become the very first champion!
• 1884: The tournament expanded to include Ladies’ Singles. In an epic family showdown, Maud Watson defeated her sister Lilian to take the crown.
• 1922: A massive milestone as the tournament moved to its famous current home on Church Road.
• 1970s: Colour TV arrived, bringing the lush green courts to life around the globe, while the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum opened to celebrate its centenary.
• 2013 & 2016: British tennis history was rewritten when Scotland's Andy Murray broke a 77-year drought to triumph on Centre Court. 🎉🏅🇬🇧
🍓 Shocking Stats & Fun Facts
• 54,250 balls are used per tournament, kept inside specialized refrigerators to stay in pristine condition.
• Yellow balls were introduced in 1986 so viewers could easily spot them on TV—before that, they were white!
• 8 mm is the exact, millimetre-perfect height the grounds team cuts the 20 grass courts all year round.
• 2 million fresh strawberries are devoured by fans over 14 straight days of world-class action.
• Rufus the Harris Hawk is a star employee, currently 17 years old, with his own online following, flying high above the venue to keep local pigeons away from the courts.
• 11 hours is the record for the longest match in history, played across three gruelling days!
What is your favourite Wimbledon tradition—the strawberries and cream, Henman Hill / Murray Mound, or the strict all-white dress code? 👇