- विज्ञापन -
Washington, June 30: The oldest tennis tournament, Wimbledon, is starting today at the All England Club in London. This is the 138th edition of this 148-year-old Grand Slam tournament. The Wimbledon tournament has been broken only during World War II and the Corona pandemic in 2020. It is also called the most prestigious of the four Grand Slams of tennis.
Wimbledon is the third Grand Slam of the year. There are 4 Grand Slams in tennis. All four are held every year, starting with the Australian Open in January. The French Open is in May and June. Wimbledon is in July and the US Open in August-September. The US Open is the last Grand Slam of the year.
Serbian star tennis player Novak Djokovic will try to win his 25th title in this tournament, but he will face the challenge of Spain’s young star Carlos Alcaraz. 22-year-old Alcaraz defeated Djokovic in the final match played on gross court last year.
Wimbledon is the only Grand Slam tournament which is not organized by any National Tennis Association.
It is organized by the All England Club. The club was founded in 1868. Tennis was earlier called croquet. 6 members together started the All England Tennis and Croquet Club and later on they started the Wimbledon Tournament in 1877.
Today it is a private club and has 500 members. The Princess of Wales is the owner of this club. Currently Catherine Elizabeth Middleton is its owner.
Know here the tradition of Wimbledon, which remained unbroken…
♦Ball Boys and Ball Girls: The ball boys and girls make this championship special. They are known as BBGs. Since 2005, BBGs work in teams of 6, 2 of whom are at the net and 4 in the corners. Their job is to pick up the ball and deliver it to the player. BBGs were first seen in championships in the 1920s and 30s. They are nominated by the school principals, although all of them have to pass a written exam based on the rules of tennis.
♦Dress of the players: All players in the tournament are allowed to play tennis only wearing completely white clothes. There were protests on this during Wimbledon in 2022. The protesters said that it is challenging for women to play tennis in white clothes during periods. Therefore, the white dress code should be removed, but Wimbledon stood by its rules. This time too the players will play in white dress only.
♦Strawberry-cream wine is served to the spectators: It is a tradition at the tournament to serve British wine to the spectators in addition to strawberries and cream.
♦Organised on grass courts: Wimbledon started on grass courts in 1877. For the last 146 years this competition has been taking place on grass courts. It is the only one among the four Grand Slams which is played on grass courts. Australian Open and US Open are played on hard courts, while French Open is played on clay courts.
At Wimbledon the men’s singles champion is awarded a cup and the women’s singles champion is awarded a silver plate trophy.
Now some interesting facts about the tournament…
♦Respect for the Royal Family: Previously players would bow their heads as a mark of respect to the Royal Family seated in the Royal Box when entering and leaving Centre Court. In 2003 His Royal Highness the Duke of Kent, President of the All England Club, decided to discontinue this tradition. Now players only bow when the Prince of Wales or the Queen is in attendance. This happened in 2010 when the Queen herself was present at Wimbledon on 24 June.
♦Addressing players: Before 2009, female players were addressed as ‘Miss’ or ‘Mrs’ on the scoreboard. Following this, married female players are addressed by their husband’s name.
♦The trophy has not changed, a replica is handed to the champion: The trophy is being given to the winner of the men’s singles at Wimbledon since 1887. The men’s champion gets a cup measuring 18.5 inches long and 7.5 inches wide. The player who becomes the champion is handed a replica of the trophy, which has the names of the past champion players, while the original trophy is kept in the museum of the All England Club. The women’s singles champion is given a sterling silver salver (silver trophy made in the shape of a plate). There are idols of gods and goddesses on it. A silver cup is given to players who win the doubles event.
♦A special hawk has been kept to drive away pigeons: A hawk has been kept at Wimbledon to drive away pigeons. Rufus the Hawk is a Harris Hawk, i.e. a special hawk, which has been raised by the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club to drive away pigeons. The hawk is considered an important member of the Wimbledon family. Rufus has been serving for the last 15 years. Before Rufus, Hamish the hawk used to drive away pigeons at Wimbledon.
