Wimbledon Tickets

History of Wimbledon Tennis

Wimbledon is the oldest tennis tournament in the world since the beginning of tennis, dating back to 1877, and is widely considered the most prestigious. The tournament is hosted at the All-England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London, and out of the four Grand Slam tournaments, Wimbledon is the only that is still played on natural grass, staying true to its roots while the others have moved to clay or hard courts.

The tournament has a long history that’s built by many of the tennis stars that played an important role in that history. Among the Wimbledon legends are famous players, such as Björn Borg, Martina Navratilova, Pete Sampras, Serena Williams, and Roger Federer. The tournament has a classy style featuring an all-white dress code, absence of sponsor advertising on the courts, and classic traditions like strawberries and cream, which make Wimbledon an event like no other.

The tournament runs over two weeks at the beginning of July and includes Men’s and Women’s singles, doubles, and mixed doubles, as well as junior and wheelchair events. Tickets for Wimbledon are always hard to come by. Grab your Wimbledon 2025 tickets from Fanatix.

Royal Presence at Wimbledon

Throughout its history the Royal family has played a prominent role at the event. Further enforcing fans believe that Wimbledon is more than just a tennis tournament. It’s a quintessential British cultural event. The British Royal Family are regulars in the Royal Box on Centre Court. From Queen Elizabeth II to Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales (an avid tennis fan and Patron of the All-England Club), royalty frequently attends matches.

It’s tradition that members of the Royal Family present the trophies to the winners of the Men’s and Women’s Singles. In recent years, Princess Kate has often had the honor of awarding the champions.

Wimbledon Icons: Serena & Roger

Serena Williams is one of the most dominant figures in women’s tennis, with 7 Wimbledon singles titles and countless memorable moments on Centre Court. Her power game redefined women’s tennis and captivated fans worldwide. She also was one of the first black tennis players that managed to win so many trophies! She and her sister where fully trained by her father and drilled for the championship coming from a relatively poor family.

Roger Federer, the “King of Grass,” dazzled crowds with his elegance, precision, and sportsmanship. With 8 titles, Federer holds the men’s record for Wimbledon singles victories and played some of the tournament’s most iconic matches. One of the most remarkable games Federer has played was the legendary 2008 final he played against Rafael Nadal in 2008. Federer and Nadal have been rivals for almost two centuries, but on grass Federer most of the times managed to come out on top, while Nadal was better on clay.

Wimbledon Information

Most Wimbledon Singles Titles record is held by Martina Navratilova, who won the trophy for the Ladies Singles a record 9 times in the period between 1978 and 1990.

This is closely followed by Roger Federer, who’s holding the record among men with 8 Gentlemen’s Singles titles in the period from 2003 until 2017. The Swiss player had a special talent for playing on the Grass at Wimbledon and dominated the tournament this century.

Most Points Scored

While point totals aren’t officially tracked as a historical stat like titles or matches, John Isner’s 2010 marathon match saw him score over 450 points, setting an unofficial record for total points in a single Wimbledon contest.

Prize Money

Wimbledon is also renowned for being very lucrative in terms of player remuneration. The total prize pool is unmatched by any other tennis tournament. In 2024 the total prize pool had a value of £50 million, with the Men’s and Women’s Singles champions each receiving £2.7 million. Prize money has consistently increased over the years to ensure fairness and equality across genders and disciplines. Where men historically received a bigger portion of the prize pool this was corrected for in a call for fairness.

Umpires and Officials

The classy and respectable history of the tournament is also represented by its empires. Wimbledon’s chair umpires are among the most respected in the sport. Wearing distinctive green blazers the empires stand-out and are respected for their professionalism. The common phrase “Quiet please… play” silences the audience with immediate effect. Recently the empires have been provided new technologies such as Hawk-Eye technology aids in line calls, but at Wimbledon, tradition still reigns and umpires are the final authority on-court.

The Longest Match in Wimbledon History

In 2010 John Isner and Nicolas Mahut played a historic match at Wimbledon that set the record for the longest match ever played, not only at Wimbledon, but in tennis history. The total match lasted for more than 11 hours and was played over three consecutive days. At the end of the three days Isner decided the match in his favor (6-4, 3-6, 6-7(7), 7-6(3) and 70-68), but it was something that had never happened before in any type of tournament.

Most Unexpected Win

One of the most unexpected events in the history of Wimbledon took place in 1985 when the only 17-year-old Boris Becker shocked the world by winning Wimbledon as an unseeded player. He became the youngest-ever Men’s Singles champion and the first unseeded player to do it. A scenario that every young player will dream about and an unmatched underdog story for the ages.

Youngest Ever Wimbledon Winner

The youngest ever singles winner at Wimbledon is Lottie Dod, who won the Ladies’ Singles title in 1887 at just 15 years old. In the modern era, Boris Becker still holds the record for youngest male winner at age 17 in 1985.

A Strange Disqualification

In 1995, Jeff Tarango stormed off court during a match and was disqualified after arguing with the umpire. His wife later slapped the umpire in the players’ area, leading to an even bigger scandal. He was banned from Wimbledon the following year. It remains one of the most bizarre incidents in tournament history.

Who Attends Wimbledon?

The Wimbledon audience is a unique blend of:

• Tennis enthusiasts from around the world
• Celebrities, actors, and musicians
• British high society and international dignitaries
• Young fans, often attending with parents or schools
• Royalty, always seated in the Royal Box

A common denominator among all the attendees is that everyone is wearing classy styled clothing, often suits or formal jackets and heads for many of the ladies. This feels as of you go back in time to a period where people were more used to dress formally for occasions on the weekend bringing an additional factor to the tournament.

Wimbledon Grounds & Atmosphere

The grounds in England include 18 courts that are all carefully managed and maintained to be in perfect condition for the tournament. The centre court is shaped by a big stadium and open air, which provides challenges for the organization in years, as the English weather is not always as planned, therefore the organization has built a dynamic roof that can be put in place if conditions require it.

As the tournament is loved by fans all over the world and often recognized as the biggest tennis tournament in the world, it’s challenging to get tickets for many fans. The main ways are:

• Public Ballot (entries months in advance)
• The Queue (camp overnight for day-of entry)
• Debentures (multi-year corporate seats at premium prices)

How to Buy Wimbledon 2025 Tickets

If you have read all the above, there’s probably no doubt that you want to attend the Wimbledon tournament once in your life! It’s an experience that will stick with you for ever and we bet that you will become a life time fan once you have set foot on the Wimbledon grounds.

Fanatix is your go-to source for Wimbledon 2025 Debentures tickets. Whether you’re after Centre Court finals or outer court early round action, we help you experience the magic of Wimbledon firsthand.