Wimbledon: Strawberries, Cream and a Century of Tradition
Grass courts, a royal box and a very particular pudding — what makes Wimbledon the most genteel fortnight in British sport.
For a fortnight each summer, a corner of south-west London becomes the politest place on earth. Wimbledon is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, and the one most wrapped in ritual — from the grass underfoot to the strawberries in your hand. Here is what makes it so special.
The oldest championship in tennis
The Championships began in 1877, staged by the All England Lawn Tennis Club, with a single event — Gentlemen’s Singles — and a few hundred spectators. From those modest beginnings grew the most prestigious tournament in the sport, and the one every player dreams of winning. Nearly 150 years on, it remains gloriously bound to its own traditions.
The last of the grass
Wimbledon is the only Grand Slam still played on grass, the surface on which the game was born. The courts are tended with almost obsessive care — the grass kept to a precise height and cut daily — giving Wimbledon its fast, low bounce and its unmistakable green-and-purple look. The all-white dress code for players only adds to the sense of a place that does things its own way.
Strawberries, cream and a royal box
No tradition is more beloved than strawberries and cream, eaten by the bowlful across the fortnight (these days often with a glass of champagne alongside). And no view is more coveted than the Royal Box on Centre Court, where members of the royal family have long watched the tennis among the most distinguished guests of the day.
A very British fortnight
What makes Wimbledon endure is its refusal to rush or modernise away its charm. Queues, whites, strawberries, the hush before a serve — it is sport as ceremony, and a quintessential part of the British summer.
Dates, ticketing (including the famous ballot and queue) and traditions vary year to year — check the official Wimbledon website before planning a visit.
