Venue: All England Club, Wimbledon Dates: 2-15 July
Coverage: Watch live on BBC TV, BBC iPlayer, BBC Red Button, Connected TVs and the BBC Sport website and app; Live commentary on BBC Radio 5 live and 5 live sports extra.
How well do you know your Wimbledon champions?
As Roger Federer aims for a record-extending ninth men’s title at the All England Club, we wondered how many multiple Wimbledon singles champions you can name.
Tennis players get a two-minute break between sets, so that is how long you’ve got to fill in your answers.
We’re talking men’s and women’s singles in the professional era – so 1968 onwards – and any wins before that do not count towards their total.
Ladies and gentlemen, quiet please…
How many multiple Wimbledon singles champions can you name in two minutes?
1968 was a year of revolution across the world with movements against the political and military elite taking place in a number of countries.
In the same year, tennis had its own revolution.
For the first time, professional players were allowed to compete in the Grand Slam tournaments – ushering in a new ‘Open era’ which marked the beginning of the modern game.
To mark the 50th anniversary, we take a visual and interactive look at how Wimbledon has evolved since 1968.
Interactive The All England Club from above
Now
Then
What led to the creation of the Open era?
Up until 1968 tennis was divided into professional and amateur circuits, meaning those paid to play were barred from competing in the Grand Slam tournaments.
However, it was widely known amateur players were being given clandestine payments at other tournaments – leading to it being dubbed as “shamateurism”.
“They bargain for – and receive – exorbitant expenses to compete at many tournaments,” Derek Penman, a Lawn Tennis Association councillor, said at the body’s AGM in 1967.
“We must take action on our own account to make the game honest.”
That action came in the form of the All England Club – whose chairman Herman David first proposed reform in 1959 and saw it rejected – teaming up with the LTA to finally convince members of the International Tennis Federation to vote in favour of allowing professionals to play alongside the amateurs.
“The move is made because the English are tired of the hypocrisy in the sport, the shamateurism that plagues high-class tennis,” added Penman.
The Open era, which led to the increased professionalism and greater riches, was born.
Click to see content: Wimbledon_prize_money_1968
Converting these earnings into modern-day money following the decimalisation of UK currency in 1971, and taking into account inflation, the 1968 men’s champion, Rod Laver, received the equivalent of around £30,000.
Billie Jean King, who won the ladies’ singles that year, won the equivalent of £11,000.
King, a 12-time Grand Slam singles champion, pioneered and fought for gender equality in tennis, eventually helping achieve another breakthrough: equal pay at the Grand Slams.
In 2007, Wimbledon offered women and men equal prize money for the first time, sums which have continued to rise at SW19.
Click to see content: Prize_money_2018
Still ‘Centre’ of the tennis world
In 1968, Centre Court was one of sport’s most iconic venues. Fifty years later, it is still.
While the dimensions of the patch of grass have barely altered, plenty around it has changed.
The court capacity has been expanded by more than 5,000 since 1968, with the biggest redevelopment the addition of the retractable roof in 2009.
Interactive Inside Centre Court
Now
Then
While the new roof also meant modifications to the stands, it did not mean the end for Centre Court’s green masonry or seating.
Nor was it the end of the iconic creeper covering the wall of the main entrance.
“We had to strip off the old vines and replant from scratch,” Martyn Falconer, head gardener of the All England Club, says.
Interactive Outside Centre Court
Now
Then
In 1968, Centre Court used to have a next-door neighbour: the old Court One.
It was attached to the west side of Centre before being replaced by a new 11,000-capacity court – north of Centre – in 1997.
Since 1968, four other show courts have been built – courts two, three, 12 and 18 – meaning the layout of the grounds has been transformed.
How the spectator experience has changed
While the All England Club has gradually been transformed over the years, the appetite to experience what many regard as the quintessential English sporting event has not diminished – despite the odd bit of rain…
Interactive Crowd
Now
Then
More people than ever are arriving at SW19 over the Wimbledon fortnight….
While modern-day ticket prices are still not dissuading those keen to sample the experience…
Traditions remain…
The amount of prize money might have increased considerably, but the other main prize for a Wimbledon singles champion – the trophy and its presentation – has barely changed.
The men’s champion receives the silver gilt Challenge Cup, which was first presented in 1887, while the ladies’ champion receives the Venus Rosewater Dish – a silver salver first presented in 1886.
Like 50 years ago, the trophies are presented by the president of the All England Club – Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent in 1968, and now her son, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent.
Interactive Trophy presentation
Now
Then
There is another similarity between the images showing Billie Jean King and Garbine Muguruza receiving the ladies’ singles trophies: the white kit.
Since 1963, Wimbledon has insisted players must be dressed predominantly in white throughout, although the rule was clarified to ‘almost entirely white’ in 1995.
“Any competitor who appears on court dressed in a manner deemed unsuitable by the committee will be liable to be defaulted,” says the Wimbledon rulebook.
…but Wimbledon continues to grow globally
Tennis has become more global in terms of the two professional tours – ATP and WTA – holding more events all around the world.
While Wimbledon has seen an increase in the number of nations represented in the first-round draw, there was also a healthy spread across the globe in 1968…
The increase in the number of countries represented, coupled with transportation across the world becoming more viable, means there are now journalists from around 50 countries.
After the UK, which had around 350 journalists there in 2017, the country with the next largest representation was the United States (47).
That was followed by France, Italy, Japan, Germany, Switzerland and Spain, all with between 20-31 representatives.
How technology has changed
Interactive Clothing
2018
1968
The umpire remains the one who administers the rules from their perch on the familiar extended chair.
However, the tools available to them are vastly different.
Computers are now used to score the match, while net-cord machines also alert them.
But the most notable change came with the introduction of the electronic review system.
Hawk-Eye, which allows players to challenge line calls, was implemented by Wimbledon in 2007 and is used on Centre Court, Court One, plus courts two, three, 12 and 18.
That also meant the scoreboards had to change.
While Centre Court and Court One had electric scoreboards from the 1920s, they have been regularly updated over the years with the current video boards being introduced in 2008.
In 1968, all the outside courts had manual scoreboards – operated by ball boys and girls – before electronic scoreboards became standard across the grounds in 2013.
Ball boys and girls
In 1968, there were fewer than 100 ball boys at Wimbledon.
They were provided by Shaftesbury Homes – a charity which supported young people in care – and all wore All England green and purple halved shirts and shorts.
Interactive Ball boys and girls
Now
Then
With ball girls introduced in 1977, that figure has risen to around 250 children.
The ball boys and girls, who are picked from several London schools, now wear navy polo shirts with a green stripe down the side, and navy blue shorts.
Thanks to the All England Club for providing several of the archive images. More information about the history of Wimbledon is available at the club’s museum.
Wimbledon 2018 on the BBC
Coverage: Extensive live coverage across television, radio and online
Former World No. 1 cracks up the press room before main draw play begins
Andy Murray uses his talents to entertain tennis fans throughout the world. But on Saturday, he pleasured a new audience: the press.
The former World No. 1, who will begin his Wimbledon campaign against Benoit Paire, was in the middle of analysing the Frenchman’s game when cheers were heard in the interview room, interrupting the Scot’s response.
“I can’t believe I’m missing this match,” Murray said. “It’s like 4-2 or something.”
Murray did his press conference during the second half of a Round of 16 World Cup match between France and Argentina. A reporter corrected Murray, saying France was leading 3-2. And the 31-year-old responded with a perfect joke: “Should we just go?”
Don’t worry, Murray stayed to fulfill the rest of his press obligations. But soon after, it was off to watch the rest of the football match. And Murray did not turn out to be Nostradamus. The final score? France 4, Argentina 3.
You May Also Like: From Doubt To Excitement: Murray Returns To Wimbledon
In a sport famous for its superstitions, from Bjorn Borg’s no-shave policy at Wimbledon to Kei Nishikori’s refusal to call home during the 2014 US Open, one player, with hopes of achieving further success in the next decade of the sport, admits something rather surprising; he does not have any. That man is World No. 3 Alexander Zverev.
The 21-year-old, who reached his first Grand Slam quarter-final at Roland Garros this year, spoke about his thought process as he prepares for his fourth appearance at SW19.
“I’m not superstitious at all,” admitted Zverev. “I don’t have anything I have to do before I play. For me, if I have a great preparation, if I have great practices, I know I’ll do well. This is more important for me than any superstition anybody could have.”
A year ago, Zverev lost a tight five-set battle against 2016 runner-up Milos Raonic on the legendary grass. Now, one year on, the three-time ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titlist will be confident of going further in the draw, armed with superstitions or not. The tournament’s No. 4 seed, who will meet Australia’s James Duckworth in the first round, is 0-1 on grass this season after losing to eventual champion Borna Coric at the Gerry Weber Open last week.
“I look forward to it. I think it’s Wimbledon. I think everybody looks forward to it,” said Zverev. “[I got] a little bit injured in Paris. Everybody knows that. I didn’t practise a lot before the tournament in Halle, so… I played it without having any practice. But now I feel really good. The practices I had here and the practices that I had after my loss in Halle were great. I feel ready to go.”
Are You In? Subscribe To Get Tournament Updates In Your Inbox
With two finals to his name on grass (Halle 2016-2017), Zverev knows his way around the surface. But the 21-year-old doesn’t put too much emphasis on the court, instead choosing to focus on his game.
“I mean, it’s a different surface. I always said that for me the surface is not a big role. For me, it’s how I play, more about how my game is at the moment,” said Zverev. “I can adjust pretty well to surfaces. Obviously you have got to do a few things differently than on clay.
“You have got to maybe slice a little bit more, you have got to come in a little bit more, you have got to try to play lower. But that adjustment is made within a few days. After that, it’s more about finding your shots, finding your game.”
Did You Know? Alexander Zverev owns a 20-10 FedEx ATP Win/Loss Record on grass. The German has also improved his performance by one round with each appearance he has made at Wimbledon.
From Doubt To Excitement: Murray Returns To Wimbledon
Jun302018
Former World No. 1 to face Frenchman Paire in first round
For 11 months, Andy Murray was forced out of competition due to a hip injury. The former World No. 1’s ATP Ranking slipped as low as No. 157 — his lowest standing in nearly 13 years — and the Scot admitted to having ‘zero expectations’ when he returned at The Queen’s Club two weeks ago. The future was uncertain.
But the two-time Wimbledon champion put forth two solid efforts at the Fever-Tree Championships and the Nature Valley International, and the right-hander says he is prepared to play at The Championships.
“I’m pumped,” Murray said. “Four or five weeks ago, I didn’t know whether I’d be capable of competing at a level I’d be happy with. I think the past couple of weeks have been beneficial… I don’t think I played amazing in the matches, but I think I’ve done well, considering the opponents, the level of the guys that I’ve played against.”
In his first match back at The Queen’s Club, the Scot pushed in-form Aussie Nick Kyrgios to a final-set tie-break before succumbing. And at Devonshire Park in Eastbourne, the 31-year-old beat former World No. 3 Stan Wawrinka before losing to British No. 1 Kyle Edmund.
Now, Murray is back at the tournament that helped mold him into a national icon. He has advanced to at least the quarter-finals at the tournament in each of the past 10 years. But the lead-up to this event? Not the same.
“Wimbledon for me is obviously special for a lot of reasons. I always want to be here competing. It feels a little bit odd coming into the tournament this year,” Murray said. “Normally like at this stage I feel really nervous, lots of pressure, and I expect a lot of myself around this time of year. I’ve always loved that and enjoyed that in a way. It has been difficult, but enjoyed it, whereas this year it feels very, very different.”
Murray is competing in just his third tournament since last year’s Wimbledon, for starters. And with that comes a gradual increase in both health and form. It’s not easy to face world-class competition after nearly a year away from the sport.
“There’re certain things that are still tricky and things I’m still trying to work through. These things are significantly better than what they were a few months ago. That’s for sure. But again, it just takes time,” Murray said. “You sometimes in practice might feel really good, and then you get on the match court and you’re pushing yourself a few percent harder… you learn a lot from competing.”
You May Also Like: Scouting Report: 10 Things To Watch At Wimbledon
Murray will hope to both learn and win in the first round, facing a tough test against Benoit Paire, who had two match points against top seed Roger Federer at the Gerry Weber Open last week. Murray has won both of their FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings, including a triumph over the Frenchman in the Round of 16 at Wimbledon in 2017, but knows that it won’t be easy against the World No. 48.
“Last year he obviously had a decent run here, had a couple of match points against Roger in Halle a couple of weeks ago. I think with his game, as well, the ability that he has, his athleticism, I don’t see a reason for why he shouldn’t play pretty well on the surface,” Murray said. “He’s a tricky guy to play against because of his style. He does hit a lot of dropshots, he serve-volleys. He’s unorthodox with his shot selection.”
And Murray is looking forward to the challenge. The 11 months he had to sit out were some of his most difficult. But while his form remains on the mend, one thing is as strong as ever: Murray’s love of the sport.
“If I had to stop tomorrow, yeah, I’d be pretty gutted with that because I still love playing, I love the sport. I enjoy watching it. I enjoy the traveling. There’s nothing about it that I’d be looking forward to giving up,” Murray said. “I want to keep playing as long as I can, providing I’m physically capable of doing that.”
Venue: All England Club, Wimbledon Dates: 2-15 July
Coverage: Watch live on BBC TV, BBC iPlayer, BBC Red Button, Connected TVs and the BBC Sport website and app; Live Radio 5 live and 5 live sports extra commentary; Text commentary online.
Mischa Zverev won his first ATP Tour title with a straight-set victory over Lukas Lacko at Eastbourne.
The German, ranked 67th in the world, beat Slovakia’s Lacko 6-4 6-4 at the Nature Valley International.
Zverev, 30, hit an ace on his first match point to wrap up the title in 97 minutes.
His victory meant he and world number three Alexander are the first brothers to win a singles event in the same season since 1989.
Zverev is set to face France’s Pierre-Hugues Herbert when Wimbledon begins on Monday, while Lacko will play Benjamin Bonzi.
We use technology such as cookies on our website, to provide functions and analysis of our visitor data. Click Accept to confirm that you agree to its use.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.