|
Wimbledon is at full swing and with finals weekend quick approaching, this year’s competition has seen some top-class tennis and some unexpected upsets. However, Covid-19 has thrown a spanner into the works with many of the traditions normally seen at Wimbledon affected by the pandemic. So, on this week’s Pub Convos, lets talk about some traditions that you might or might not know about Wimbledon.
Wimbledon is actually a Croquet Club?
The All-England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon was originally founded in 1868 for the sole purpose of croquet. In 1875, the then infant sport of tennis was introduced, and one lawn of the club was allocated for playing tennis on. By 1882, tennis became the main activity of the club and croquet was dropped from the club’s name. Croquet was restored to the club’s name in 1899 for sentimental reasons and has stayed the same since.
Strawberries and Cream:
Baseball games have hotdogs, football games have pies; Wimbledon has strawberries and cream. The iconic stand food is said to be first offered in 1953 as only strawberries, the addition of cream was only included in 1970. However, some have debated that this tradition dates back to 1877. Strawberries and tennis signified the arrival of summer. Each year 28 tonnes of strawberries are consumed drenched in 7000 litres of cream.
The Queue:
We are so used to people camping overnight outside sneaker stores to cop the latest pair of kicks, but did you know that you could also do this for Wimbledon tickets. Everyday up to the quarter finals of the tournament, fans can be seen queueing/camping for the 500 tickets that are reserved and not sold through the official ballot.
All White Dress Code:
Players participating in the tournament are to strictly adhere to a dress code which consists of white, white and more white. All apparel worn on courts and practice must be all white. A notable incident regarding the dress code was when Roger Federer was told that he could not wear his shoes that had orange soles to play in the tournament.
Wimbledon Premium? – No Ads:
For those of us who are less well off, we might be used to ads on all our entertainment platforms like YouTube and Spotify. Wimbledon however has kept ads off its courts for decades, striking a contrast with the other Grand Slam tournaments. The only advertising that can be clearly seen is Rolex who are the official timekeepers of the tournament.
|
