95-485: Robert Haillet (26 September 1931 – 26 September 2011) was a French international tennis player. He competed in the Davis Cup a number of times, from 1952 to 1960. The iconic tennis shoe adidas Stan Smith was initially named "adidas Robert Haillet" when introduced in 1965, but was changed in 1971 after Haillet's retirement from tennis. Haillet staged a remarkable comeback in his fourth round match against Budge Patty at
190-438: A "People's Sunday", with unreserved seating and readily available, inexpensive tickets, allowing those with more limited means to sit on the show courts. In 2022, on the centenary of the tournament's move to its current site, routine scheduled play began on the "Middle Sunday". This was attributed to advances in grass technology and maintenance meaning the courts no longer required a day of recovery mid-tournament. Before 2022,
285-512: A broadcast centre, two extra grass courts and a tunnel under the hill linking Church Road and Somerset Road. Stage two (1997–2009) involved the removal of the old No. 1 Court complex to make way for the new Millennium Building, providing extensive facilities for players, press, officials and members, and the extension of the West Stand of the Centre Court with 728 extra seats. Stage three (2000–2011)
380-494: A bye in the first round of the INZ challenger rounds. In 1966 , the "Europe Zone" was split into two zones, "Europe Zone A" and "Europe Zone B", so the winners of the four zones competed in the INZ challenger rounds. From 1950 to 1967 , Australia dominated the competition, winning the Cup 15 times in 18 years. Beginning in 1972 , the format was changed to a knockout competition , so that
475-520: A champions tiebreak taking place meaning the winner needs to get to 10 points and win by two points. If the score is 9–9 play continues until one player wins by two points. All events are single-elimination tournaments , except for the Gentlemen's, Senior Gentlemen's and the Ladies' Invitation Doubles, which are round-robin tournaments . Up to 1921, the winners of the previous year's competition (except in
570-481: A combined team from Australia and New Zealand that competed together until 1914 . The competition was initially titled the International Lawn Tennis Challenge although it soon became known as the Davis Cup , after Dwight Davis' trophy. The Davis Cup competition was initially played as a challenge cup. All teams competed against one another for the right to face the previous year's champion in
665-413: A finalist three times, and been ranked no. 2 in the world; his low ranking was due to having been hampered by a persistent shoulder injury for three years, which had only just cleared up. In 1996, the title was won by Richard Krajicek , who was originally unseeded (ranked 17th, and only 16 players were seeded) but was promoted to a seeded position (still with the number 17) when Thomas Muster withdrew before
760-421: A game devised by Major Walter Clopton Wingfield a year or so earlier as an outdoor version of real tennis and originally given the name Sphairistikè , was added to the activities of the club. In spring 1877, the club was renamed "The All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club" and signalled its change of name by instituting the first Lawn Tennis Championship. A new code of laws, replacing the code administered by
855-437: A nation has a winning 3–1 lead after the first reverse single match and that match has gone to four sets or more, then the remaining reverse single match which is a dead rubber is not played. All five rubbers are played if one nation has a winning 3–0 lead after the doubles match. Ties are played at a venue chosen by one of the competing countries. The right of choice is given on an alternating basis. Therefore, countries play in
950-561: A player's previous grass court performance. Since 2002 a seeding committee has not been required for the Gentlemen's Singles following an agreement with the ATP, and since the 2021 tournament , the seeding has followed the same process as the ATP rankings. From 2002 to 2019, the top 32 players (according to the ATP rankings) were seeded according to a formula that more heavily weighted previous grass-court tournaments: ATP Entry System Position points + 100% points earned for all grass court tournaments in
1045-467: A properly sanctioned match, but failed to do so. He nevertheless tried to entice top international (particularly British) talent to the U.S. and sanctioned semi-official tours of the top American players to Great Britain. Diplomatic relations between Great Britain and the United States on the tennis front had strengthened such that, by the mid-1890s, reciprocal tours were staged annually between players of
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#17328844506341140-663: Is Birmingham , also in Great Britain. The men's event which is outside Europe before Wimbledon is the Antalya open in Turkey. The only grass-court tournament scheduled after the Championships is the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships at Newport, Rhode Island , USA, which takes place the week after Wimbledon. Since 2015, the championships have begun one week later than in previous years, extending
1235-515: Is 24. However, the distribution among the three zones may vary each year, according to the number of nations promoted or relegated between Group One and the World Group. The number of nations in the World Group and Group One together is 22 from Euro/Africa Zone, 9 from Americas Zone and 9 from Asia/Oceania Zone. As in other cup competitions tie is used in the Davis Cup to mean an elimination round. In
1330-751: Is a tennis tournament organised by the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in collaboration with the Lawn Tennis Association annually in Wimbledon, London . It is chronologically the third of the four Grand Slam tennis events every year, held after the Australian Open and the French Open and before the US Open . It is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and is widely regarded as
1425-626: Is described by the organisers as the "World Cup of Tennis" and the winners are referred to as the world champions. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Great Britain and the United States . By 2023 155 nations entered teams into the competition. The most successful country over the history of the competition is the United States (winning 32 titles and finishing as runners-up 29 times). The most recent champions are Italy , who beat Netherlands to win their third title (and second consecutive one) in 2024 . The women's equivalent of
1520-403: Is in place to protect local residents from late-night disturbances. When the roof was built on Centre Court—something that allowed matches to continue at night under the lights—the local Merton Council put the time limit into place when granting planning permission for the roof. A statement from Wimbledon in 2018 read: “The 11pm curfew is a Planning Condition applied to balance the consideration of
1615-485: Is minimal and low-key from official suppliers such as Slazenger and Rolex . The relationship with Slazenger is the world's longest-running sporting sponsorship, providing balls for the tournament since 1902. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic , Wimbledon 2020 was cancelled, the first cancellation of the tournament since World War II. The rescheduled 134th edition was staged from 28 June 2021 to 11 July 2021. The 135th edition
1710-505: Is played as the best of five matches (4 singles, 1 doubles). The ITF determines the host countries for all possible matchups before each year's tournament. The World Group is the top group and includes the world's best 18 national teams. Teams in the World Group play a four-round elimination event. Teams are seeded based on a ranking system released by the ITF, taking into account previous years' results. The defending champion and runner-up are always
1805-455: Is widely considered the world's premier tennis tournament and the priority of the club is to maintain its leadership. To that end a long-term plan was unveiled in 1993, intended to improve the quality of the event for spectators, players, officials and neighbours. Stage one (1994–1997) of the plan was completed for the 1997 championships and involved building the new No. 1 Court in Aorangi Park,
1900-483: The 1958 French Championships . Patty was leading 5–0, 40–0 in the fifth set but could not convert his match points and Haillet won seven consecutive games to win the final set 7–5. Haillet reached the semi-finals of the French championships in 1960 (beating Neale Fraser before losing to Nicola Pietrangeli ).]. Haillet turned professional in mid 1960 when he joined the pro tour of Jack Kramer . His son Jean-Louis Haillet
1995-414: The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine . The 18 best national teams are assigned to the World Group and compete annually for the Davis Cup. Nations which are not in the World Group compete in one of three regional zones (Americas, Asia/Oceania, and Europe/Africa). The competition is spread over four weekends during the year. Each elimination round between competing nations is held in one of the countries, and
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#17328844506342090-528: The Marylebone Cricket Club , was drawn up for the event. Today's rules are similar except for details such as the height of the net and posts and the distance of the service line from the net. The inaugural 1877 Wimbledon Championship started on 9 July 1877 and the Gentlemen's Singles was the only event held. 22 men paid a guinea to enter the tournament, which was to be held over five days. The rain delayed it four more days and thus, on 19 July 1877,
2185-512: The Open Era (pre-1968) were not allowed to compete in the Davis Cup despite the fact that the Grand Slam tournaments and most tennis tournaments became Open Era events in 1968. From 1968 national registered professionals were allowed to compete under the control of their national tennis associations. In 1973 Australian players like Rod Laver and Ken Rosewall were allowed to play in the Davis Cup for
2280-604: The Summer Olympic Games and became the first Olympic grass court tournament since tennis was reintroduced as an Olympic sport and the first to be held at a Grand Slam venue in the Open era. In April 2013, Wimbledon unveiled its 'Master Plan' a vision in which to improve the championships over the next 10–15 years. This was in large part due to other Grand Slam tournaments such as the French Open and Australian Open also announcing expansion and re-development plans. Aspects of
2375-640: The "British Isles"), was held at the Longwood Cricket Club in Boston, Massachusetts in 1900 . The American team, of which Dwight Davis was captain, surprised the British by winning the first three matches. The following year the two countries did not compete, but the US won the match in 1902 and Britain won the following four matches. By 1905 the event expanded to include Belgium , Austria , France , and Australasia ,
2470-489: The "Wimbledon Championships" or simply "Wimbledon". From 1912 to 1924, the tournament was recognized by the International Lawn Tennis Federation as the "World Grass Court Championships". In the period of 1915–1918, no tournament was organised due to World War I. During World War II, the tournament was not held in the period 1940–1945. On 11 October 1940 one bomb hit a corner of the competitors’ stand of
2565-403: The 2018 tournament, a tiebreak game is played if the score reaches 6–all in any set except the fifth (in a five-set match) or the third (in a three-set match), in which case a two-game lead must be reached. Since 2019, a final set tiebreak game is played if the score in the final set reaches 12–all. In 2022 it was decided all matches would have a final set tiebreak once the match reached 6–6, with
2660-463: The 2019 Championships, quad wheelchair competitions would become a permanent event. As a result of the COVID-19 global pandemic , the All England Club announced on 1 April 2020 that the entire grass-court season was to be cancelled as a public safety precaution until June 2021, marking the first time a Wimbledon tournament would not be played since World War II. Club officials considered playing
2755-449: The 2020 cancellation on expected losses of around £250 million ($ 312 million). In April 2022, due to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine , the All England Club announced that Russian and Belarusian players would be prohibited from competing in the tournament. Unlike the ATP and WTA, participation as neutral athletes is also prohibited. On 20 May 2022, the ATP, ITF, and WTA announced that they will not award ranking points for
2850-467: The 2025 Wimbledon Championships, all in-person line judges will be replaced by electronic line calling system for the first time in the tournament's 147-year history and the 2025 Wimbledon Championships will run from 30 June to 13 July. The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club is a private club founded on 23 July 1868, originally as "The All England Croquet Club". Its first ground was at Nursery Road off Worple Road, Wimbledon. In 1876, lawn tennis ,
2945-467: The Centre Court. The championships did go ahead in 1946 even though the damage meant that 1,200 seats were lost. The organisers were unable to repair the damaged section until 1947 and the Centre Court was fully restored and renovated for the 1949 edition. In 1946 and 1947 Wimbledon was held before the French Championships . It was thus the second Grand Slam tennis event of the year. Wimbledon
Robert Haillet - Misplaced Pages Continue
3040-614: The Davis Cup is the Billie Jean King Cup , formerly known as the Federation Cup (1963–1995) and Fed Cup (1995–2020). Australia, Italy, Russia, the Czech Republic and the United States are the only countries to have won both Davis Cup and Federation/Fed/Billie Jean King Cup titles in the same year. The Davis Cup allowed only amateurs and national registered professional players (from 1968) to compete until 1973 , five years after
3135-418: The Davis Cup, the word rubber means an individual match. In the annual World Group competition, 16 nations compete in eight first-round ties; the eight winners compete in four quarterfinal ties; the four winners compete in two semifinal ties; and the two winners compete in the final tie. Each tie consists of five rubbers, which are played in three days (usually on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday). The winner of
3230-549: The Gentlemen's Singles Championship was Goran Ivanišević in 2001. Players and pairs who neither have high enough rankings nor receive wild cards may participate in a qualifying tournament held one week before Wimbledon at the Bank of England Sports Ground in Roehampton . The singles qualifying competitions are three-round events. From 2019 singles qualification will increase to 128 players and no doubles qualification will occur. Previously
3325-502: The ITF voted to change the format of the competition from 2019 onwards, changing it to an 18-team event to happen at the end of the season, with 71% of ITF member federations voting in favour of the change. The new format, backed by footballer Gerard Piqué and Japanese businessman Hiroshi Mikitani , was likened to a world cup of tennis and was designed to be more attractive to sponsors and broadcasters. Opposing federations included those from Australia, Germany, and Great Britain. Support for
3420-414: The Ladies' Doubles and Mixed Doubles) were automatically granted byes into the final round (then known as the challenge round). This led to many winners retaining their titles in successive years, as they were able to rest while their opponent competed from the start of the competition. Since 1922, the prior year's champions were required to play all the rounds, like other tournament competitors. Each year
3515-524: The Saturday. The five main events span both weeks, but the junior and invitational events are held mainly during the second week. Traditionally, unlike the other three tennis Grand Slams, there was no play on the "Middle Sunday", which was considered a rest day. However, rain had forced play on the Middle Sunday four times, in 1991, 1997, 2004 and 2016. On the first of these four occasions, Wimbledon staged
3610-518: The U.S. the following summer, which would represent the first British lawn tennis "team" to compete in the U.S. Coincidentally, some weeks before Larned left for his British tour, the idea for an international competition was discussed also between leading figures in American lawn tennis—one of whom was tennis journalist E.P. Fischer—at a tournament in Niagara-on-the-Lake , Ontario. Dwight F. Davis
3705-574: The best British players against six of the best Americans, in a mixture of singles and doubles matches. This was discussed openly in two articles in the Chicago Tribune , but did not come to fruition. Nevertheless, the following summer, Great Britain—though not under the official auspices of the Lawn Tennis Association —sent three of its best players to compete in several US tournaments. Their relative poor performances convinced Dwight and other leading officials and figures in American lawn tennis that
3800-439: The country where the last tie between the teams was not held. In case the two countries have not met since 1970, lots are drawn to determine the host country. Venues in the World Group must comply with certain minimum standards, including a minimum seating capacity as follows: Prior to each tie, the captain (non-playing coach appointed by the national association) nominates a squad of four players and decides who will compete in
3895-433: The cup after India refused to travel to South Africa in protest of South Africa's apartheid policies. The following year saw the first actual final between two "outsider" nations, when Sweden beat Czechoslovakia 3–2, and since then, many other countries have gone on to capture the trophy. All contract professionals were not allowed to play in the Davis Cup until 1973. The tennis stars who turned professional prior to
Robert Haillet - Misplaced Pages Continue
3990-408: The defending champion was required to compete in all rounds, and the Davis Cup was awarded to the champion. Up until 1973 , the Davis Cup had only ever been won by the United States, Great Britain/British Isles, France and Australia/Australasia. Their domination was eventually broken in 1974 when South Africa and India made the final; however, the final was scratched and South Africa was awarded
4085-426: The doubles rubber: the two singles players, two other players (usually doubles specialists) or a combination. Each rubber is normally played as best of five sets . Since 2016 , all sets use a tiebreak at 6–6 if necessary (formerly, the fifth set usually had no tiebreaker, so play continued until one side won by two games e.g. 10–8). However, if a team has clinched the tie before all five rubbers have been completed,
4180-413: The doubles titles on numerous occasions; the 2005 Gentlemen's Doubles champions were not only unseeded, but also (for the first time ever) qualifiers. Since 2001, the courts used for Wimbledon have been sown with 100% perennial ryegrass . Prior to 2001 a combination of 70% ryegrass and 30% Creeping Red Fescue was used. The change was made to improve durability and strengthen the sward to better withstand
4275-498: The draw. This system was replaced for the 1927 Wimbledon Championships and from then on players were seeded on merit. The first players to be seeded as no. 1 were René Lacoste and Helen Wills . The Committee of Management decide which players receive wildcards. Usually, wild cards are players who have performed well during previous tournaments or would stimulate public interest in Wimbledon by participating. The only wild card to win
4370-466: The final round. Beginning in 1923 , the world's teams were split into two zones: the "America Zone" and the "Europe Zone". The winners of the two zones met in the Inter-Zonal Zone ("INZ") to decide which national team would challenge the defending champion for the cup. In 1955 a third zone, the "Eastern Zone", was added. Because there were three zones, the winner of one of the three zones received
4465-410: The final was played. Spencer Gore , an Old Harrovian rackets player, defeated William Marshall 6–1, 6–2 and 6–4 in 48 minutes. Gore was presented with the silver challenge cup, valued at 25 guineas and donated by the sports magazine The Field , as well as a prize money of 12 guineas. About 200 spectators paid one shilling each to watch the final. The lawns at the ground were arranged so that
4560-442: The first day's singles rubbers. However, in certain circumstances, the team captain may replace one or two of the players who played the singles on Friday by other players who were nominated for the tie. For example, if the tie has already been decided in favour of one of the teams, it is common for younger or lower-ranked team members to play the remaining dead rubbers in order for them to gain Davis Cup experience. Since 2011, if
4655-461: The first time since 1962 (for Laver) and since 1956 (for Rosewall). In 1981 , a tiered system of competition was created, in which the 16 best national teams compete in the World Group and all other national teams compete in one of four groups in one of three regional zones. In 1989 , the tiebreak was introduced into Davis Cup competition, and from 2016 it is used in all five sets. In 2018,
4750-530: The gap between the tournament and the French Open from two to three weeks. Additionally the Stuttgart Open men's tournament converted to a grass surface and was rescheduled from July to June, extending the grass court season. Wimbledon is scheduled for 14 days, beginning on a Monday and ending on a Sunday. Before 1982 it ended a day earlier, with the women's singles final on the Friday and the men's singles final on
4845-635: The groups and the two best second places advancing to quarterfinals. The series between the teams in this stage will feature two singles matches and one doubles match, instead of the best-of-5 series, with the matches changing from best of 5 sets to best of 3. As the World Group will now take place as one single competition, this event has been named as the Davis Cup Finals. The lower zone groups I and II will be composed of single ties deciding promotion or relegation. Note: The total number of nations in Group One
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#17328844506344940-482: The idea, which was tentatively agreed, and he ordered an appropriate sterling silver punchbowl trophy from Shreve, Crump & Low , purchasing it from his own funds for about US$ 1,000. They in turn commissioned a classically styled design from William B. Durgin 's of Concord, New Hampshire , crafted by the Englishman Rowland Rhodes. Beyond donating a trophy for the competition, Davis's involvement in
5035-402: The incipient development of the team competition that came to bear his name was negligible, yet a persistent myth has emerged that Davis devised both the idea for an international tennis competition and its format of mixing singles and doubles matches. Research has shown this to be a myth, similar in its exaggeration of a single individual's efforts within a highly complex long-term development to
5130-412: The increasing wear of the modern game. The main show courts, Centre Court and No. 1 Court , are normally used for only two weeks a year, during the Championships, but play can extend into a third week in exceptional circumstances. The remaining 17 courts are regularly used for other events hosted by the club. The show courts were in action for the second time in three months in 2012 as Wimbledon hosted
5225-412: The land of the adjacent Wimbledon Park Golf club for £65 million, so that the tournament qualifying matches can be played on site. On 19 October 2018, it was announced that a tie-break will be played if the score reaches 12–12 in the final set of any match; this will apply to all competitions including in qualifying, singles, and doubles. In a related statement, it was announced that starting at
5320-517: The last Monday in June or the first Monday in July and culminating with the Ladies' and Gentlemen's Singles Finals, scheduled for the Saturday and Sunday at the end of the second week. Five major events are held each year, with additional junior and invitational competitions also taking place. In 2009, Wimbledon's Centre Court was fitted with a retractable roof to lessen the loss of playing time due to rain. A roof
5415-406: The local residents with the scale of an international tennis event that takes place in a residential area. The challenge of transport connectivity and getting visitors home safely is also a key consideration.” Both the men's and ladies' singles consist of 128 players. Players and doubles pairs are admitted to the main events on the basis of their international rankings, with 104 direct entries into
5510-510: The losing teams facing relegation to the next-lower group. The teams in Groups III and those in Group IV play a round-robin event with promotion and relegation. For the 2019 edition , the format of the cup is changed. The main modification is the World Group taking place at one location and in one week, with eighteen teams divided in six round-robin groups of three teams each, with the winners of
5605-472: The master plan included new player and media facilities, expansion of the No.1 court including a new retractable roof, new catering and hospitality areas, additional floor to the museum building, construction of an underground car park and new indoor courts and also a total reconfiguration of the site including the relocation of a number of practice, clay and championship courts. Part of the plan also includes acquiring
5700-476: The men's and 108 into the ladies' competitions. Both tournaments have 8 wild card entrants, with the remainder in each made up of qualifiers. Since the 2001 tournament, 32 players have been given seedings in the Gentlemen's and Ladies' singles, 16 teams in the doubles events. The system of seeding was introduced during the 1924 Wimbledon Championships . This was a simplified version allowing countries to nominate four players who were placed in different quarters of
5795-477: The most prestigious. Wimbledon has been held since 1877 and is played on outdoor grass courts with retractable roofs over the two main courts since 2019. It is the only major still played on grass, the traditional tennis playing surface. It is also the only major that retains a night-time curfew, though matches can now continue until 23:00 under the lights. The tournament traditionally takes place over two weeks in late June and early July, starting either on
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#17328844506345890-480: The myths of William Webb Ellis and Abner Doubleday , who have both been wrongly credited with inventing rugby and baseball, respectively. Davis nevertheless went on to become a prominent politician in the United States in the 1920s, serving as US Secretary of War from 1925 to 1929 and as Governor-General of the Philippines from 1929 to 1932. The first match, between the United States and Britain (competing as
5985-692: The new No. 1 Court in 1997 emphasised the description. By 1882, activity at the club was almost exclusively confined to lawn tennis and that year the word "croquet" was dropped from the title. However, for sentimental reasons it was restored in 1899. In 1884, the club added the Ladies' Singles competition and the Gentlemen's Doubles was transferred from the Oxford University Lawn Tennis Club. Ladies' doubles and mixed doubles events were added in 1913. The first black player to compete at Wimbledon
6080-521: The number of players (or teams, in the case of doubles) are: The four junior events and the number of players or teams are: No mixed doubles event is held at this level The seven invitational events and the number of pairs are: Matches in the Gentlemen's Singles are best-of-five sets. In 2023 it was decided that Gentlemen's Doubles match formats will be changed from best-of-five sets to best-of-three sets due to complaints from partaking players; all other events are best-of-three sets. Up to and including
6175-422: The past 12 months + 75% points earned for the best grass court tournament in the 12 months before that. A majority of the entrants are unseeded. Only two unseeded players have won the Gentlemen's Singles: Boris Becker in 1985 and Goran Ivanišević in 2001. In 1985 there were only 16 seeds and Becker was ranked 20th; Ivanišević was ranked 125th when he won as a Wild Card entrant, although he had previously been
6270-525: The principal court was in the middle with the others arranged around it, hence the title " Centre Court ". The name was retained when the Club moved in 1922 to the present site in Church Road, although no longer a true description of its location. However, in 1980 four new courts were brought into commission on the north side of the ground, which meant the Centre Court was once more correctly described. The opening of
6365-413: The recommendations of their national tennis associations, on their International Tennis Federation world rankings and, in the case of the singles events, on the basis of a qualifying competition. The Committee of Management determines which players may enter the four invitational events. The Committee seeds the top players and pairs on the basis of their rankings, but it could change the seedings based on
6460-571: The reform was also mixed among current and former players, with some such as Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal being in favour of the new format, but others such as Rod Laver , Lucas Pouille and Roger Federer being opposed. On 12 January 2023, the ITF announced that the partnership with the new promoter ends and that ITF is taking back the control of the event. Davis Cup games have been affected by political protests several times, especially in Sweden: Russia and Belarus were suspended after
6555-605: The remaining rubbers may be shortened to best of three sets, with a tiebreak if necessary to decide all three sets. In Group III and Group IV competitions, each tie consists only of three rubbers, which include two singles and one doubles rubber, which is played in a single day. The rubbers are in the best of three sets format, with a tie breaker if necessary to decide all three sets. (1981–2018) For more information, see ITF rankings Change since previous ranking update The Championships, Wimbledon The Wimbledon Championships , commonly called Wimbledon ,
6650-423: The roof was the completion of the fourth round women's singles match between Dinara Safina and Amélie Mauresmo . The first match to be played in its entirety under the new roof took place between Andy Murray and Stanislas Wawrinka on 29 June 2009. Murray was also involved in the match completed latest in the day at Wimbledon, which ended at 11:02 pm in a victory over Marcos Baghdatis at Centre Court in
6745-416: The same-sex doubles competitions lasted for only two rounds. There is no qualifying tournament for Mixed Doubles. The furthest that any qualifier has progressed in a Singles tournament is the semi-final round: John McEnroe in 1977 (Gentlemen's Singles), Vladimir Voltchkov in 2000 (Gentlemen's Singles), and Alexandra Stevenson in 1999 (Ladies' Singles). Players are admitted to the junior tournaments upon
6840-426: The second Monday at Wimbledon was often called "Manic Monday", because it was the busiest day with the last-16 matches for both men's and women's singles. Fans had a pick of watching on a single day any of the best 32 players left, which was also unique in a Grand Slam singles competition. Since 2009 all matches have to finish before 11:00pm. Wimbledon is the only Grand Slam that retains a night-time curfew. The curfew
6935-510: The sheer number of people who still would have needed to be on site led the board to realise "that wasn't going to be a workable option". Prior to the start of the 2003 tournament, the club began paying an annual insurance premium of £1.61m ($ 2 million) to cover losses from cancellation of Wimbledon in the event of a worldwide pandemic as a result of the SARS outbreak ; it would receive an insurance payment of £114 million ($ 141 million) for
7030-499: The singles event at Wimbledon between Fred Perry in 1936 and Andy Murray in 2013, while no British woman has won since Virginia Wade in 1977, although Annabel Croft and Laura Robson won the Girls' Championship in 1984 and 2008 respectively. The Championship was first televised in 1937. Though formally called "The Championships, Wimbledon", depending on sources the event is also known as "The All England Lawn Tennis Championships",
7125-422: The site of the old No. 2 and No. 3 Courts. On 1 August 2011, the All England Club transferred all of its assets relating to The Championships to a separate though wholly owned subsidiary, The All England Lawn Tennis Club (Championships) Limited, also known as AELTC. Since that time, the club's activities have been formally conducted separately from those of The Championships. In 2012, the All England Club hosted
7220-537: The standard Davis Cup format, mixing single and doubles matches, and in 1895 England played against France in a national team competition. During Larned's tour of the British Isles in 1896, where he competed in several tournaments including the Wimbledon Championships , he was also a spectator for the annual England vs. Ireland match. He returned to exclaim that Britain had agreed to send a group of three to
7315-414: The start of the Open Era . The idea for an event pitting the best British and Americans in competition against one another was probably first conceived by James Dwight , the first president of the U.S. National Lawn Tennis Association when it formed in 1881. Desperate to assess the development of American players against the renowned British champions, he worked tirelessly to engage British officials in
7410-529: The summer of 1899, that four members of the Harvard University tennis team—Dwight Davis included—travelled across the States to challenge the best west-coast talent, and upon his return, it apparently occurred to Davis that if teams representing regions could arouse such great feelings, then why wouldn't a tennis event that pitted national teams in competition be just as successful. He approached James Dwight with
7505-648: The tennis events of the 2012 Olympic Games . One of the show courts is also used for home ties for the Great Britain teams in the Davis Cup on occasions. Wimbledon is the only remaining Grand Slam event played on natural grass courts. At one time, all the Majors, except the French Open, were played on grass. The US Open abandoned grass in 1975 for green clay and the Australian Open did so in 1988 for hard courts ;
7600-402: The third round of the 2012 Championships. The 2012 Gentlemen's Singles Final on 8 July 2012, between Roger Federer and Murray, was the first singles final to be partially played under the roof, which was activated during the third set. A new 4,000-seat No. 2 Court was built on the site of the old No. 13 Court in time for the 2009 Championships. A new 2,000-seat No. 3 Court was built on
7695-421: The tie is the nation which wins three or more of the five rubbers in the tie. On the first day, the first two rubbers are singles , which are generally played by each nation's two best available singles players. On the second day, the doubles rubber is played. On the third day, the final two rubbers are typically reverse singles , in which the first-day contestants usually play again, but they swap opponents from
7790-431: The tie. On the day before play starts, the order of play for the first day is drawn at random. In the past, teams could substitute final day singles players only in case of injury or illness, verified by a doctor, but current rules permit the captain to designate any player to play the last two singles rubbers, provided that no first day matchup is repeated. There is no restriction on which of the playing team members may play
7885-513: The time was right for a properly sanctioned international competition. This was to be staged in Newcastle in July 1898, but the event never took place as the Americans could not field a sufficiently strong team. A reciprocal tour to the U.S. in 1899 amounted to just a single British player travelling overseas, as many of the players were involved in overseas armed conflicts. It was at this juncture, in
7980-492: The top two seeds in the event. The losers of the first-round matches are sent to the World Group playoff round, where they play along with winners from Group I of the regional zones. The playoff round winners play in the World Group for the next year's competition, while the losers play in Group I of their respective regional zone. Each of the three regional zones is divided into four groups. Groups I and II play elimination rounds, with
8075-479: The tournament behind closed doors , but this was ruled out in part because at least 5,000 people–including ballboys, officials, coaches, maintenance, and security–would have still needed to be on site to hold a functioning tournament. Former player and current All England Club board member Tim Henman told the Tennis Channel of the US that the board had carefully considered holding a closed-door Wimbledon. However,
8170-672: The tournament begins on the last Monday in June or first Monday in July, two weeks after the Queen's Club Championships , which is one of the men's major warm-up tournaments, together with the Gerry Weber Open , which is held in Halle, Germany , during the same week. Other grass-court tournaments before Wimbledon are Eastbourne , Great Britain, and Rosmalen in the Netherlands, both combining mixed events. The other women's warm-up tournament for Wimbledon
8265-510: The tournament, as they considered the prohibition unilateral, and constituted discrimination against players based on nationality. On 31 March 2023, the ban on Russian and Belarusian players was lifted by the All England Club. On 9 October 2024, it was announced that line judges would be replaced by electronic line calling technology on all courts starting at the 2025 Championship. Wimbledon consists of five main events, four junior events and seven invitation events. The five main events, and
8360-438: The tournament. In 2023, the Ladies' Singles title was captured for the first time by an unseeded player, Marketa Vondrousova , who ranked 42 in the world. Previously, the lowest seeded female champion was Venus Williams , who won in 2007 as the 23rd seed; Williams was returning from an injury that had prevented her playing in previous tournaments, giving her a lower ranking than she would normally have had. Unseeded pairs have won
8455-415: The two nations, and an ensuing friendship between American William Larned and Irishman Harold Mahony spurred efforts to formalize an official team competition between the two nations. International competitions had been staged for some time before the first Davis Cup match in 1900. From 1892, England and Ireland had been competing in an annual national-team-based competition, similar to what would become
8550-425: Was Bertrand Milbourne Clark , an amateur from Jamaica, in 1924. Until 1922, the reigning champion had to play only in the final, against whoever had won through to challenge them. As with the other three Major or Grand Slam events, Wimbledon was contested by top-ranked amateur players; professional players were prohibited from participating. This changed with the advent of the open era in 1968. No British man won
8645-514: Was also a tennis player. This biographical article relating to French tennis is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Davis Cup The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis . It is organised by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and contested annually between teams from over 150 competing countries, making it the world's largest annual team sporting competition. It
8740-533: Was completed with the construction of an entrance building, club staff housing, museum, bank and ticket office. A new retractable roof was built in time for the 2009 championships, marking the first time that rain did not stop play for a lengthy time on Centre Court . The Club tested the new roof at an event called A Centre Court Celebration on Sunday, 17 May 2009, which featured exhibition matches involving Andre Agassi , Steffi Graf , Kim Clijsters , and Tim Henman . The first Championship match to take place under
8835-470: Was in attendance at this tournament, and was thought to have got wind of the idea as it was discussed in the tournament's popular magazine, and Davis's name was mentioned as someone who might 'do something for the game ... put up some big prize, or cup'. Larned and Fischer met on several occasions that summer and discussed the idea of an international match to be held in Chicago the following summer, pitting six of
8930-461: Was operational over No. 1 Court from 2019, when a number of other improvements were made, including adding cushioned seating, a table and 10 independently operable cameras per court to capture the games. Wimbledon traditions include a strict all-white dress code for competitors, and royal patronage. Strawberries and cream are traditionally consumed at the tournament, in latter years accompanied by Champagne . Unlike other tournaments, advertising
9025-404: Was played between 27 June 2022 and 10 July 2022, and regularly scheduled play occurred in the middle of Sunday for the first time. It marked the centenary of the inaugural championships staged at the Centre Court. The ATP , ITF , and WTA did not award ranking points for the 2022 tournament, due to controversy over the tournament excluding players representing Russia and Belarus . Starting with
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