6 Wimbledon facts to impress your friends

Wimbledon is also home to the Wimbledon Tennis Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis championships along with the Australian, French and United States Opens. Tennis is played on grass, which gave the game its original name of lawn tennis. It takes place during the two weeks of late June and early July, ending with the men’s and women’s finals on the last Saturday and Sunday respectively.

Are here six Wimbledon facts that will impress your friends:

1. Every year 250 ball boys are paid to work at Wimbledon. They are on average 15 years old and earn around £150 for the two weeks.
2. Over 54,000 tennis balls are used during championships and yellow tennis balls were introduced in 1986 because white ones were too difficult for referees to see.
3. Being the traditional snack, each year approximately 28,000 kg of strawberries are consumed with more than 7,000 liters of cream.
4. The youngest player to participate in Wimbledon was the Austrian Mita Klima, who was only 13 years old when she played in 1907.
5. The center court has capacity for 15,000 fans. During World War II, five bombs destroyed 1,200 seats and the restoration took nine years to complete.
6. In 1995, Tim Henman became the first person to be disqualified from Wimbledon after losing his temper and smashing a ball into the face of a girl in the crowd.

In 2009, Center Court was fitted with a retractable roof so play could continue during inclement weather. There are five main events: Men’s Singles, Women’s Singles, Men’s Doubles, Women’s Doubles and Mixed Doublesas well as Junior events and invitational matches. Wimbledon is scheduled for 14 days, always starting on a Monday and ending on a Sunday.

There is also a white dress rule with specific guidelines for players that there is no solid mass of color and little or no dark colors. No fluorescent colors with a preference for pastel colors. All accessories must be predominantly white. Dark green and purple are the colors of the staff uniforms.

Tickets are sold to the general public through a voting system by the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club at the beginning of the year. Successful candidates are randomly selected by a computer. Selected seats and days are not transferable. Fans without tickets can queue for the show courts and will typically have to queue overnight. Sanitary and water facilities are provided and color coded wristbands are handed out for the specific pitch. In 2010 Wimbledon’s millionth queue card was handed out!

Located on the grounds of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club is the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum. It provides a multidimensional tour of the traditions that have made Wimbledon the most coveted title in tennis history. There are touch screens and audio guides for people of all ages and cultures to experience tennis through time. There is also a tour of the grounds and access allowed to restricted areas behind the scenes.

The town of Wimbledon is full of independently owned shops and beautiful buildings. With traditional pubs and the Windmill Tea Rooms, there is plenty to see and do. The New Wimbledon Theater has a variety of exciting programs including touring stage productions and musicals. Wimbledon station is served by the District line as well as overland trains and there are many bus routes in the area as well as the underground.