{"id":1692,"date":"2025-06-25T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-25T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/evanevanstours.com\/blog\/?p=1692"},"modified":"2025-10-01T16:38:02","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T15:38:02","slug":"weird-and-wonderful-facts-about-wimbledon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/evanevanstours.com\/blog\/weird-and-wonderful-facts-about-wimbledon\/","title":{"rendered":"What are weird and wonderful facts about Wimbledon?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What good is a British summer<\/a> without Wimbledon? One of the most celebrated tennis events in the world, it runs for two weeks each year, attracting over half a million spectators and millions of TV viewers worldwide.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To celebrate the most quintessentially British sporting tournament of them all, let\u2019s get to know Wimbledon with these fun facts:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>Wimbledon goes way back<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

On 9th June 1877, the first Wimbledon Championships were held at Worple Road in Wimbledon, making it the oldest tennis tournament in the world. However, it was pretty different from the tournament we know today.

For a start, the tournament was advertised as a \u2018lawn tennis meeting, open to all amateurs\u2019 – yes, you could have entered! The only event played that year was Men\u2019s Singles. Ladies\u2019 Singles and Men\u2019s Doubles events only came onto the Wimbledon scene in 1844, before Ladies\u2019 Doubles and Mixed Doubles were added to the mix in 1913.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

VR & AI were introduced in 2023<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For the first time ever, in 2023, Wimbledon offered a VR fan experience, allowing viewers to immerse themselves in the action from the comfort of their own homes. This innovative technology provided a unique perspective, giving fans the sensation of sitting courtside during matches. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Equally, Wimbledon introduced its first AI umpire, “RoboRef”, an AI using advanced computer vision and machine learning algorithms to make line calls with remarkable accuracy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Longest Match Record Broken<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In Wimbledon 2023, two relatively unknown players smashed the record for the longest match in Wimbledon history. Their five-set marathon lasted a staggering 6 hours and 45 minutes, surpassing the previous record set in 2010 by John Isner and Nicolas Mahut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s a lot<\/i> of tennis balls<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Around 54,000 tennis balls are used in the Wimbledon tournament, which are inspected and replaced every seven to nine games in order to keep them in optimum condition. When they\u2019re not used, tennis balls are even put in a refrigerated container to keep them looking spotless! If you\u2019re a superfan, you\u2019ll be pleased to hear you can buy a can of three balls for \u00a32.50 after Wimbledon have finished with them – quite a bargain, actually.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>Rufus the Hawk is a Wimbledon celebrity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Every morning during the tournament, a Harris hawk called Rufus is set free and circles the sky above Wimbledon grounds to scare away the local pigeons. He doesn\u2019t harm them – just deters them away from the games. <\/span>Rufus has over 10,000 followers on Twitter<\/span><\/a> (yep, he\u2019s a regular Tweeter) and sent the nation into a panic when he was stolen in 2012. Thankfully, they promptly got him home safe.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Strict dress code?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One of Wimbledon’s most distinctive features is the extremely strict dress code which players must follow. According to <\/span>Tennis Fashions: Over 125 Years of Costume Change, <\/span><\/i>the tradition of \u201ctennis whites\u201d dates back to the 1800s, when players wore white in order to avoid sweat patches on brightly coloured clothing.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the book, the rule was first imposed only on women because it was <\/span>\u201cquite unthinkable that a lady should be seen to perspire\u201d<\/span><\/i>. Though the origin may seem slightly sexist, the rules are adhered to by both men and women now – in 2013, Wimbledon champion Roger Federer was asked to change his shoes just because they had orange soles!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And would you believe that if you have dark arm hair, the Club of England could ask you to bleach it white? Now, that\u2019s dedication.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, but not so strict anymore<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Things and rules changed slightly at Wimbledon. Players showcased bold and colourful designs both on and off the court – from vibrant neon hues to retro-inspired patterns, athletes embraced self-expression through their attire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Strawberries and cream are as essential as a tennis racket<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\"Strawberries\"<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In 2017, 23 tonnes of strawberries and 7,000 litres of fresh cream were served to visitors. If you were to lay these berries in a line, they\u2019d stretch almost 37 miles end-to-end. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being a Ball Girl or a Ball Boy is a serious job<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

BBGs at Wimbledon have literally been coached within an inch of their lives! Around 250 ball boys and girls are selected from 27 nearby schools, at around the age of just 15, then have the intense job of keeping track of the fast-moving tennis ball.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

They have to take a test to make sure they can stand completely still for at least 3 minutes. Each BBG is then expected to attend weekly training sessions of 2.5 hours – and they have to be precise, disciplined <\/span>and<\/span><\/i> fast – it\u2019s almost military-like! The teenagers are constantly assessed, and if they don\u2019t meet Wimbledon\u2019s high standards, they aren\u2019t allowed to take part in the tournament.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Things can get pretty tiring<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\"Man<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Matches can go on for hours and hours – and sometimes even days! The longest-ever Wimbledon match was at the 2010 tournament, where John Isner of the United States won against French player Nicolas Mahut. The match lasted a crazy 11 hours and five minutes and was played over 3 consecutive days – we bet they needed a good sleep after that! <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wimbledon runs until mid-July, and we\u2019re already glued to our TVs! If you can\u2019t get yourself down to London in time to watch a match, make sure you add something special to your Wimbledon experience by joining one of our private tours<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Let\u2019s get to know Wimbledon with these fun facts!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":1695,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1330,587,622,1637,621],"tags":[913,912,911],"class_list":{"0":"post-1692","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-british-culture","8":"category-london","9":"category-places-to-visit","10":"category-sports","11":"category-things-to-do","12":"tag-tennis-events","13":"tag-wimbledon","14":"tag-wimbledon-facts"},"yoast_head":"\nWeird and wonderful facts about Wimbledon<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Wimbledon, one of the most celebrated tennis events in the world running for two weeks each year, is worth knowing with these wonderful facts.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, 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