Almost all tennis players have a dream of playing on Wimbledon's Centre Court and winning the trophy there. Here's probably why they harbour this ambition:
1. Wimbledon is the is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and has been played since 1877. It is considered to be the most prestigious of all the four Grand Slams.
2. This is the only tournament that is still played on the sport's original surface-grass. Earlier, the Australian Open and US Open that are played on hard court now and French Open that is played on clay were played on grass. Hence, tennis is called lawn tennis.
3. Player have to strictly wear white at the tournament. The rules state, "No solid mass of colouring; little or no dark or bold colours; no fluorescent colours; preference towards pastel colours...and all other items of clothing including hats, socks and shoes to be almost entirely white."
Roger Federer who sported orange soles to his shoes during his first round match was pulled up by the organisers as they saw the shoes as flouting the rules.
This shows how strict the organisers are about the all-white apparel rule.
4. Spectators and players are offered strawberries and cream as the typical stand food at the tournament.
The New York Times reported that a librarian for the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum once told them that the strawberries date back to the first Wimbledon tournament in 1877. She said strawberries and tennis both signalled the arrival of summer.
5. Players are referred to as Mr, Miss and Mrs as per their marital status especially in the case of women.
For men, the chair umpires sometimes just say their names instead of Mr. But using Miss for all female players is still practised today at Wimbledon.
6. At Wimbledon, the ball boys and girls are known as BBGs and play a crucial role in the smooth running of the tournament, with a brief that a good BBG "should not be seen. They should blend into the background and get on with their jobs quietly."
Since 2005, BBGs work in teams of six, two at the net, four at the corners, and teams rotate one hour on court, one hour off for the day's play. Teams are not told which court they will be on so as to ensure the same standards across all courts.
7. The Centre Court has survived a War World II bombing and now boasts of a roof that prevents rain delays from causing scheduling problems during the tournament.
8. This is the only Grand Slam which is patronised by a Royal Family. The Queen of Britain often visits Wimbledon and meets the players.
The Royal Family seated in the Royal Box and players earlier had to courtesy al members of the family. But the tradition has been discontinued since 2003 by the Duke of Kent who is the President of the All England Club. Now only if the monarch or the Prince of Wales are present, players are expected to courtesy them.
9. Wimbledon does not have any sponsor advertising around its courts.
10. The tournament has a 'day of rest'. The middle Sunday of the Wimbledon fortnight is always a day off.
