RU  UK  EN
Статьи  >  Imagine  >  Wimbledon: The origins of British traditions

Wimbledon: The origins of British traditions

Автор: 07.07.2014 | traditions, history, sports, Great Britain
After thousands of sets a lot of water has gone under the bridge (in the literal sense, as rains are their imminent attribute). Please, find below the most interesting facts from the history of the tournament especially from OUTLOOK.

Some statistics: the tournament lasts for 2 weeks, the height of the legendary grass court is 8 mm, the amount of consumed strawberries and cream (a traditional delicacy) is 150 thousand portions, each of which contains exactly 10 berries, neither more nor less. It tastes especially good with champagne.

If you trust rumours, the first play took place at Wimbledon due to financial problems. The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, based near the capital, did not have enough funds to buy... lawnmowers. That is why, to earn extra money, it was decided to hold the contest. The winner was Spencer Gore whose triumph was observed by only about two hundred spectators.

At competitions the athletes adhere to a strict dress code: under the current rules everyone has to play in white. Until 1932 men were obliged to wear trousers, and women - long dresses.

In addition to precipitation to fight with (in 2009 Centre Court was finally fitted with a roof), another enemy of sport is pigeons. To counteract them somehow, owners of hunting hawks are invited to the championship to patrol zones.

Before 1972 ball for the game was white. Later TV reporters persuaded the organizers to abandon it in favor of yellow for better picture. By the way, the shells before reaching Wimbledon cross half the world. Their producer is a company Slazenger from Philippines.

The royal family, at least a few representatives, are regular guests of the tournament. Someone of the royals, as a rule, awards winners. However, not all English monarchs are committed to regaling strawberries and watching the game from the stands. Father of Elizabeth II, George VI, personally took part in the competition in 1926. However, failed to progress beyond the first round...

The tournament has its own records: the longest match was played in 2010 when American John Isner defeated Frenchman Nicolas Mahut in the eleven-plus hours with a score of 70:68.

And quicker than others were representatives of the USA John McEnroe and John Connors in 1984. Their game took only eighty minutes.

About 250 boys and girls (they are also called Ball Boys and Girls, BBG) are usually serve balls. They are selected from thousands of applicants.

After the tournament a pompous ball is held, and the first dance is performed by a couple of champions.

Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and William Renshaw won Men's Singles more often than others, having 7 triumphs each. Among the fair sex the most titled is Czech Martina Navratilova holding 9 victories.

British Andy Murray, who won the tournament in 2013, presented a real celebration to compatriots - the hosts have not won in Singles on those emerald lawns since 1936. The British celebrated the occasion with a special scale, yet, 77 years of anticipation mean much...

Cover photo infoport.live

Вам это будет интересно:
Mould your hobby. History of pottery
In a local history museum in every country you visit, you will certainly notice similar archaeological finds - fragments of clay products. Pottery, born millennia ago, but “living” even today, can rightfully be considered one of the most tenacious one. The uniqueness of clay was noticed by our distant ancestors who lived in caves ...
Antique guide: European flea markets
Despite a wide-spread belief, European flea markets have little in common with both second-hand and ordinary trade rows on traditional merchandise markets. These places per se are unique due to a one-of-a-kind reflection of the country’s spirit and what at first glance seems like plain goods may tell you about its past and help feel a spirit of an era.
Holy beauty! What are the most famous abbeys in the world hiding?
What do you imagine when you hear the word "abbey"? I'm sure most people will first of all think of Westminster. But what if I said that in fact it is no longer an abbey? So what makes these medieval buildings so special? Let's look at the example of buildings from different European countries.
Where stars are “set glowing”
There’s hardly anything that compares to bright-starred sky and silence. It is the stars that OUTLOOK want to tell you about or more precisely about the places with the best view on them. In Europe it is recommended to go stargazing not to some place but to… Slovenia. Point is, this small country is one of the cleanest in the world and consequently isn’t that polluted with smog.
Cockney: derisive British dialect
Strange nicknames for items known for everybody; quite famous usage of ’ain’t’ form instead of ‘am not’ as well as disappearing letter h in several words are the features of British dialect cockney considered as picturesque language that amazes Englishmen with its sarcastic nature and provocation.
Tasty Japan: Give the country a try
Ice cream with a taste of horse meat, pickled insects, fish with deadly venom, etc – Japanese cuisine has things to surprise, amaze and shock you with. And truth be told, enumeration of these dishes doesn’t help my appetite at all. But we are not after exotic stuff. True culinary tourism is an attempt to comprehend mindset and feel national distinctive color through traditional cuisine – not try most exotic dishes.
Amazons from tribe mosuo​: Conservation of feminism in the shadow of Himalayas
Composers of antiutopias predict hundreds of sorrows to the people of the future who are from times to times forbidden to celebrate weddings, however, it seems, everything is not so terrible. In Chinese province Yun Nan near the foot of Himalayas the matriarch tribe mosuo resides that is not familiar with the concept of marriage at all.
Yodel - Music of the Austrian mountains
Austrian tour operators launched an unusual touristic tourdesigned for fans of singing style called yodel. Hikers wander through the Ziller Valley, a broad trail narrows opening the way for only the most avid travellers, then track leads upwards. Tourists look into the interactive station shaped as a giantsonorous walk-in cowbell, then they go around thelargest alpine horn and head to place...
Le Grand Louvre
First exhibition of paintings in the world’s most visited museum the Louvre was opened on 1793. But its building was well-known far beyond France, though the edifice was not used with such lofty cultural purposes.
Your breakfast, Sir! How people start their day around the world
A mini toast, a slice of cheese and a sip of strong coffee. "That is not a buffet!" a waiter will pronounce indignantly, looking at the disgruntled tourist’s face. The generous Ukrainian soul cannot understand how locals manage to eat their full with that. Therefore, before going to a new country, you need to know exactly whether in the evening you should prepare a couple of sandwiches to indulge them in the morning,...
Sculpture of the Vatican: history and philosophy
"A small territory with a great mission" is the motto under which on February 11, 1929 Lateran Treaty between the Kingdom of Italy and the Holy See recognized Vatican as a sovereign territory. It was an agreement which opened doors for curious patrons who for centuries had been trading gossip about "What is kept inside Vatican castles?".
Malanka and Vasyl winter fun: Carnival in Ukrainian style
The New Year in Ukraine did not always start with a Christmas tree, and instead of Santa Claus and Snow Maiden, guests were waiting fora minx girl - Malanka and motor-boy Vasyl accompanied by the retinue. All the follies were out of hand: the ridiculed riddles carried a sacred content, dictated by the logic of the myth of the duel of spring and winter.
Christmas Eve and What’s to Follow
Christmas arrives with a warm overjacket on its shoulders. At night it brings warm light of the first evening star and in the morning it wakes you up with shine of white but warm sun. If my great-grandmonther’s grandmother had been asked about her Christmas feelings, I believe, her words would have been identical to mine. Because together with a bowl of kutia,...
Mulled wine: Yummy way to keep warm
Vitamins, development of resistance to cold, correct day regimen... That's all good and useful, especially when the winter weather swirls in, but sometimes we all have to pamper ourselves and at the same time to be protected against germs and colds. And the best way to do it is to sip some mulled wine.
Eskimo igloo: It is easy as a pie to build castles in ...snow
A little son came to his father and suggested to run away from mom and granny to the North Pole? Now, do not indulge into tragic speeches of severe frosts, pitch darkness of the polar night and hungry polar bears! Give a conspiracy wink to a little brave one, and give him a real man's job for his school winter holidays that is to learn how to build an igloo, night shelter in ever-frost lands.
Handicraft: persian carpets
In those days when the Persian soldiers were second to none, and both the Roman Empire and the Arabian Peninsula were conquered by their power, skilful fingers of winner nation craftswomen created their first masterpiece. The carpet called The Springtime passed into history as the most precious of all time. It symbolized powerful rule of the Persians, and its beauty told about the divine origin of the king Khosrow I.
Don’t break the tongue: The hardest languages in the world
It is said, the easier it is, the better we feel, however, is it always like that? We know that not all the nations follow this principle. OUTLOOK has found out the strangest, toughest and hard in articulation international languages and would like to share it with the readers.
What do they eat: Rome’s cuisine
OUTLOOK often tells about the kitchens of the peoples around the world, but when it comes to Italy, writing about the country should be a crime. Each of its twenty regions has its own culinary world with the subtleties and specialties. Let the title of gastronomic capital of Italy be Bologna, its official capital - Rome, too, has something to boast about. We are telling you what is remarkable about Roman cuisine...
Kabuki: thorny path of flower
Traditional Japanese kabuki theatre has always been a mystery to the European mentality: only an expert on the culture of the Land of the Rising Sun can understand a play without guide’s tips. The word kabuki is sometimes translated as "the art of singing and dancing". Why not an operetta? The essence of performance is not confined to musical presentation only...
Sacred animals of the Incas
Our "Peruvian cycle" is replenished with the story of the most revered animals in Peru. Being the link between the present and the past, they play an important role in the life of this nation. Wise ancestors of the modern Peruvians, the ancient Incas, were living in harmony with all life that surrounded them.
Закрыть
Outlook facebook page