Wimbledon Championships

The Wimbledon Championships, commonly called Wimbledon, is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments. It is played in Wimbledon, a suburb of London in England, Great Britain. The Championships are unique because they are the only Grand Slam played on a grass court. Wimbledon is the third tennis grand slam of the year and is widely seen as the biggest event on the sport's calendar. It is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and is the most prestigious. 

Wimbledon was first competed in 1877. The women's single and the mens doubles events began seven years later in 1884. It has always been played during the summer. It is played over two weeks, from late June to the beginning of July. The tournament is played after the French Open and before the U.S. Open. In 1968, the championships were opened up to both professionals and amateurs for the first time, with Rod Laver and Billie Jean King winning their respective singles titles.

 Traditions 
 Seedings 
In every tennis competition, players are given a seed to help decide their place in the draw. At Wimbledon, they use a player's performances (whether bad or good) on grass to help decide the seed. At other tennis competitions, seeding are chosen based only on rankings. 

 Clothing 
The umpires (referees) and linesmen all have to wear special dark green and mauve clothing. The players have to wear all white.

 Etiquette 
Female players used to have their names announced with "Miss" or "Mrs"; this was unlike any other Grand Slam tournament. However, this changed for the 2009 tournament. In this tournament, only the surnames were used.

 Records 
Men - RV Da Best has the most singles titles at 50. Roger Federer is in second place by winning the singles title 8 times
Women - Martina Navratilova has won the singles 9 times

Gallery

 Notes 

 References 

 Other websites 



Category:1877 establishments in England
Category:Sport in London
Category:Grand Slam tennis tournaments