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AROUND THE WORLD 4: Wimbledon: The History of the Tournament

The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club is the place where the world’s leading tennis tournament--known simply as Wimbledon--is held every year. It is a private Club with a history dating back to 1868 when its first grounds were establish in Wimbledon, England. During 1877, the first tennis tournament was played on the grounds and was won by Spencer Gore. It wasn’t until 1884 that women were allowed to play, when Maud Watson won the Ladies’ Singles Championship.

The Wimbledon Championship starts six weeks before the first Monday in August--in June--and lasts approximately two weeks, until all events are complete.

Today’s Wimbledon tournament is vastly different from the days when 200 spectators came to view a game. Thousands of fans queue outside the grounds in an attempt to get last minute tickets. Since 1924, the Club has used a public ballot system for tickets. With this system, successful applicants are selected randomly by computer. The majority of Center, No.1 and No. 2 Court tickets are sold in advance in this manner. The demand for tickets has far exceeded supply for a number of decades as the popularity of the event has grown. Wimbledon remains also one of the very few major UK sporting events for which one can still buy tickets on the day of the competition.

Now known as the All England Lawn Tennis Club, the 2005 tournament is in its first week, with, no doubt, exciting final matches scheduled for July 2 and 3.

--Written by Olivia Overman

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