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WIMBLEDON: THE OFFICIAL HISTORY
Landmarks
1894 New baths and showers were
installed in the pavilion.
1895 A large tarpaulin was installed on
Centre Court. Wimbledon welcomed its
first royal visitor – Crown Princess
Stephanie of Austria.
1896 The Plate event was started for
men. All players beaten in the first and
second rounds of the singles were eligible.
1897 The starting date of the
Championships was brought back from July
to June.
1899 The Club altered its name again
and now became the All England Lawn
Tennis and Croquet Club, a title that has not
changed to this day. A non-Championship
ladies’ doubles event was begun.
1900 A non-Championship mixed
Ayres, whose ball was used at
Wimbledon from 1879 until
replaced by Slazenger in
1902, built two removable
stands for the Centre Court to
accommodate the ever-growing
crowds. In those early years
spectators at the Challenge
Round would dress formally,
many of the men in top hats or
straw boaters, the ladies in
summer dresses and coats with
a variety of headwear.
1884 The Ladies’ Singles
Championship was introduced and won by
Maud Watson who beat her sister, Lilian, in
the final from a field of 13 competitors. The
first prize was worth 20 guineas. The
Gentlemen’s Doubles Championship was
introduced, using the cup donated by
Oxford University for a doubles event they
had held but abandoned. Advantage sets
were played in all events. Three Americans,
James Dwight, Arthur Rives and Richard
Sears, were the first overseas entrants. Ayres
introduced a ‘screw post’ which eliminated
the need for guy ropes.
1886 A Challenge Round was
introduced for the ladies’ singles and men’s
doubles. Improvements were made to the
stands around Centre Court. Stop netting,
eight feet high, was erected around the ends
of outside courts. William Renshaw’s sixth
successive Gentlemen’s Singles
Championship win set a new record.
Refreshments were served in the pavilion.
20
1887 Charlotte ‘Lottie’ Dod won the
doubles event was introduced and the
reigning American singles champion, Marion
Jones, became the first overseas player to
compete in the ladies’ singles. Reginald
Doherty won for the fourth year in a row.
ladies’ singles aged 15. She is still the
youngest singles champion of either sex,
although when Martina Hingis won the
Ladies’ Doubles Championship with Helena
Sukova in 1996, she was three days younger.
1901 Arthur ‘Baby’ Gore won the first of
1888 New gates were erected at the
1902 Because rain interrupted the
Nursery Lane entrance to the ground. The
draw was conducted under the BagnallWild system with all byes in the first round.
Sunday play was allowed for members for
the first time.
1889 William Renshaw won his
seventh singles title, a record for men
that was equalled when Pete Sampras beat
Pat Rafter in 2000. The Club embarked
upon a programme of landscaping and
refurbishment to the pavilion. Drainage
of the lawns was improved.
1890 For the first time all three titles
were won by players from Ireland.
his three titles, aged 33, and Charlotte Sterry
(neé Cooper) the fourth of her five. A new
pavilion was built at a cost of £1,200.
ladies’ Challenge Round, Muriel Robb had
to start again the next day against Charlotte
Sterry before becoming champion. At the
request of the leading players, the Slazenger
tennis ball was adopted for the first time. It
has been the official ball ever since.
1903 For the last time all four
semi-finalists in the men’s All-Comers’
singles and the defending champion were
British players.
1904 For the only time a match was
decided by the toss of a coin. In the fifth
round Frank Riseley beat Sydney Smith
after being two sets all. A new uncovered
Stand D was built on the south-east side of
the Centre Court to hold 600 chairs. All
outside courts were surrounded by green
canvas to aid sighting the ball.
1905 May Sutton (USA), who had
been born in Plymouth before the family
moved to California, became the first
overseas champion. The following year she
lost in the Challenge Round although in
1907 she would win again.
1906 Laurence Doherty won for the
fifth year in a row, a record that remained
until Bjorn Borg equalled the feat in 1980.
He and his brother, Reginald, also won
an eighth doubles title together, a record
that still stands. The Grand Duchess
Anastasie and Grand Duke Michael of
Russia visited The Championships. The
stands surrounding Centre Court were
rebuilt at a cost of £1,300.
1907 The Prince of Wales (later King
George V) visited The Championships and
accepted the first Presidency of the Club.
Norman Brookes (AUS) became the first
overseas men’s champion. For the first time
the St John Ambulance were present at the
meeting, attending for the last six days.
21
The Doherty brothers,
Reginald and Laurence, were
the first great international
stars of the sport.Together they
dominated Wimbledon between
1897 and 1906, winning a
total of nine singles and eight
doubles titles.They also led the
British Isles to victory four
times in the newly-established
Davis Cup team competition
and Laurie became the first
overseas winner of the US
Championships in 1903.
WIMBLEDON: THE OFFICIAL HISTORY
Slazenger balls, sold in boxes
of one dozen and individually
wrapped, first selected for the
1902 Championships, were
selected again in 1922, the
first year at the new ground in
Church Road, and have been
selected for The Championships
every year since.
thing to a sporting matinee idol the game had so far produced. He was also a keen motorcyclist who won a gold medal in a race from Land’s End to John O’Groats in 1908 and, two
years later, motor-cycled from London to Constantinople via Rheims. While there he flew in
one of the new aeroplanes, a touch of daredevil eccentricity that greatly increased his appeal.
It was tragic that so fine an example of New Zealand manhood, so graceful an exponent of
lawn tennis skills, should have joined the hundreds of thousands of wasted young lives who
were sacrificed in that tragic conflict that history refers to as the Great War. Wilding, a captain
in the Royal Marines, was killed in action at Neuve Chapelle in France on 9 May 1915.
THE ARRIVAL OF SLAZENGER
There were other notable events during this period as The
Championships expanded. In 1902, at the request of a group of
leading players, the Slazenger ball replaced the Ayres as the
official ball of The Championships. It is a remarkable tribute
to the quality of the product and the friendly and efficient
working relationship that developed between the many
representatives of firm and club over the years that the supply
of Slazenger balls, equipment and tournament personnel,
voted on annually by the Club’s Committee until the
recent contracts of the post open era, has continued until
this day. This is thought to be the longest commercial
association between a major event and an official supplier
in the whole of world sport. To recognise the 100 years of
Slazenger service to The Championships, in 2002
the All England Club Chairman, Mr Tim Phillips,
presented a piece of Waterford Crystal to Mr Robert
Brooke, the Chairman of Dunlop Slazenger Ltd, in the
Royal Box.
In 1906 Harry Scrivener, a former Oxford blue and
one of the founders of the LTA in 1888, replaced
Bonham Evelegh as Referee and held the office until the
First World War. Evelegh had resigned because, as
someone who wrote on the game, he could not agree to
the Committee’s new demand that he would not write
about any incidents concerning The Championships
without first seeking the approval of the Committee.
It was also in 1906 that Archdale Palmer, who had
been a most successful Club Secretary since 1899,
was persuaded by Slazenger to join them as joint
Managing Director.
Palmer was also an LTA councillor and had
managed Davis Cup ties for the LTA with great success.
To recognise this work he had been nominated to be
elected as an LTA Vice-President.Yet he became the
victim of a heated campaign to prevent anyone
whose income was derived from the tennis industry
from holding an official position on the LTA or
acting as a Referee or Manager at any official
tournament. In the end he resigned from the LTA.
94
1901-1914
– WIDER HORIZONS
Palmer was replaced at the All England Club by
Commander George Hillyard who, besides having played
cricket for Middlesex and Leicester and for the Gentlemen
versus the Players, had also won many singles and
doubles titles, several of the latter with the
Dohertys. Hillyard’s appointment did not end his
playing days. In fact, in 1907 he won three
important tournaments, the South of England,
East of England and Sussex Championships,
and the following year, playing with Reggie
Doherty, he won the Olympic doubles title
at Wimbledon. During the First World War
he rejoined the Navy as a LieutenantCommander and afterwards picked up
where he had left off.
Another important piece of Wimbledon
history was made in 1907 through the
presence of the Prince of Wales, accompanied
by Princess Mary, at the finals of the two
singles events when, for the first time, both
titles went overseas. For two years, Prince
George consented to become the Club’s first
President. It was the start of a long and happy
relationship between the Royal Family and
the All England Club that is still as strong as
ever today thanks to the frequent attendance
at Wimbledon of the Club’s President, the
Duke of Kent. This link with the Royal
Family sprang from the fact that in 1877
Commander Hillyard had been a naval
cadet on HMS Britannia at the same time
as Prince George and his brother Prince
Albert. It was an extremely fortuitous
connection for the regular presence of
King George and Queen Mary and,
later, the Kents, has done so much to
add status to The Championships.
By 1913 the proceeds from The
Championships were considerable – the
accrued profits stood at more than £14,000.
The Club’s new Secretary, George Hillyard, accompanies the
Accordingly, in that year the LTA were allocated a share of
Prince of Wales during his first visit to The Championships
the surplus for the first time.
in 1907.Thus began a long and happy royal connection.
Curiously, in the two new Championship events there were
For the next two years Prince George consented to serve as
unusual outcomes. In the ladies’ doubles Mrs Sterry had to retire with
President and, when he became King George V, as Patron
a torn tendon in her leg; and in the mixed doubles final, played before
from 1910–1935.
the singles Challenge Rounds, Mrs Larcombe was hit in the eye by a
ball from her partner. He was the former Irish rugby captain, Australian
tennis champion and scratch golfer, James Cecil Parke, who was always called J.C.
Consequently, Mrs Larcombe could not challenge Mrs Lambert Chambers in the singles.
95
WIMBLEDON: THE OFFICIAL HISTORY
1919-1930
Above: Spectators are
watching a match on No.3
Court with the double-sided
stand behind them that
overlooked No.2 Court on
the other side.This was an
age when hats were de rigueur
for everyone, gentlemen and
ladies alike.
Left: Improvised headgear was
essential on the hottest days.
Far left: Crowds gather to
see which dignitaries are
arriving for an afternoon in
the Royal Box.
128
– The Inter-War Boom
Kitty McKane (left) and the young Helen Wills emerge onto
whom she had defeated twice in the United States the previous
Centre Court before the famous 1924 final. It was the only
season. Leading by a set and 4–1, and with a point for 5–1, Helen
time the eight-time champion lost at Wimbledon. Kitty, by
seemed certain to capture her first Wimbledon title. However, Kitty,
now Mrs Godfree, won again in 1926, the year when Helen
keeping the pressure on her opponent and attacking for all she was
was absent due to sickness. Helen had grown up in San
worth, staged one of her now famous recoveries. Amid mounting
Francisco, playing first with her father’s racket at the Berkeley
excitement from a packed gallery that included Queen Mary, Kitty
Tennis Club which lay behind the family home. Helen’s
came back to win the second set 6–4 and then outlasted a tiring
sound technique, depth of concentration and boundless
opponent to win the decider by the same margin. This first British
confidence in her own ability made her one of the greatest
success since Mrs Lambert Chambers’ win in 1914 was immensely
champions of all time.
popular with the home crowd. Most of them stayed on to see Kitty
win the mixed title as well with Brian Gilbert after losing in the
doubles final with Mrs Covell against Helen and Mrs Wightman. Hazel Wightman was the
donor of the cup for annual competition between the ladies of the United States and Britain
that began in 1923 and ended in 1989 when Britain could no longer find the players to offer
a serious challenge to the strong American teams of the era.
Kitty had been a member of the British team that had travelled to the United States on
the SS Franconia the previous year to compete in the inaugural Wightman Cup match. It was
the first event to be played at the new Forest Hills stadium in New York and the start had
been delayed by one day for the funeral of President Harding. Kitty had had the honour of
playing in the first rubber against Helen and had fought well before losing this first
129
WIMBLEDON: THE OFFICIAL HISTORY
THE AMERICANS REGAIN CONTROL
Budge had much greater difficulty in the 1937 final against a fully fit
von Cramm, nevertheless winning in straight sets 6–3 6–4 6–2.
Curiously, two weeks later these two would meet again on the same
court in the deciding rubber of the Inter-Zone final of the Davis Cup,
USA v Germany. In one of the most dramatic matches ever played
Budge came back from the loss of the first two sets to level the match
but then fell 1–4 behind in the fifth. Trailing 4–5 and 5–6 he recovered
both times and at last broke the German to lead 7–6.Von Cramm,
fighting to the last, saved five match points before Budge finally
prevailed 6–8 5–7 6–4 6–2 8–6. Budge always claimed that in the
dressing room before the match von Cramm had received a telephone
call from Adolf Hitler demanding a win for Germany, though this story
has never been substantiated.
Budge used a heavy racket weighing over 15 ounces so that he
could hit a very heavy ball. His great strength was his powerful
Above right: Donald Budge who in 1938 became the first
backhand, basically a flat drive hit with lift and taken early, in which he
of only four men who have won the singles without the loss
had tremendous confidence. Allied to a fearsome serve, a good forehand
of a set.The others are Tony Trabert (1955), Chuck
and a fine volley, he was the complete all-rounder. He could equally
McKinley (1963) and Bjorn Borg (1976).The American
well dominate opponents from the back or subject them to a fierce net
was also the first to win a Grand Slam, a feat he completed
attack. His feats in winning all three titles at both the 1937 and 1938
at Forest Hills later in the year. meetings, particularly when he dropped only one set in singles in 1937
and none in 1938, were thought at the time to be almost superhuman
efforts. The fact that the triple has been repeated only twice by a man, namely Bobby Riggs in
1939 and Frank Sedgman in 1952, suggests that contemporary observers were right. Curiously,
it has always seemed easier for the ladies to achieve this level of success, perhaps because the
Above left: Germany’s elegant stylist Baron Gottfried von
Cramm was arguably the greatest pre-war player never to win
the men’s singles. Like Fred Stolle in the 1960s, he reached
the final three years in a row. In 1935 and 1936 Fred Perry
beat him and the following year he ran into the American
Don Budge who was just emerging as the greatest pre-war
champion.Von Cramm twice won in Paris, in 1934 and
1936, and had a wonderful Davis Cup record: 82 wins from
102 matches over a span of 22 years, the last being in 1953
when he was 44. After losing the deciding rubber in the
1937 Inter-Zone final against Budge and subsequently
criticising Hitler and the Nazi party, which he refused to join,
von Cramm was jailed for a year and did not play at
Wimbledon again until 1951 when, at the age of 41, he lost
a close three-set match to Jaroslav Drobny, the No.2 seed.
148
1931-1939
– British and American Supremacy
great lady champions have been further ahead of their contemporaries than the men have
been ahead of theirs. It is certainly true that there has been greater depth of talent among the
men than among the women. Altogether five women have won the triple crown at
Wimbledon on nine occasions: Suzanne Lenglen three times (1920, 1922, 1925); Louise
Brough twice (1948, 1950); Billie Jean King twice (1967, 1973); Alice Marble once (1939);
and Doris Hart once (1951).
When Budge went on to Forest Hills in 1938 needing only the US Championships to
complete his hand of the four major titles, he was in the same position that Crawford had been
five years earlier. On that occasion the New York Times columnist, John Kieran, a regular bridge
player, had suggested that “if Crawford beats Perry today it would be something like a grand
slam on the courts, doubled and vulnerable”. Thus the Grand Slam concept was born.
Crawford had enjoyed a spectacularly successful season in 1933. His match against Perry at
Forest Hills was his 14th consecutive final (he had won the previous 13) and he was
149
The great Donald Budge does
an early interview on court
after beating Bunny Austin
(right) in the 1938 final.
WIMBLEDON: THE OFFICIAL HISTORY
During the 1930s London
Underground produced a
different poster each year
advertising The Championships,
a number of which can be seen
in the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis
Museum.They have become
collectors’ items.
Club might throw over the LTA
altogether and conduct The
Championships independently, a
suggestion “that may seem absurd to most of
you as it does to me”. But the Club had
been advised, he said, “that unless we took
steps to dispel the uneasiness it might
possibly spread to those who had a better
opinion of the good sense and the good faith
of the Club”.
In order to convince the LTA that
we had no wish to separate ourselves
from them, “we are willing the Agreement
should be prolonged for as long a period as
you like; in order to show we do not wish
to conduct a separate competition we will
make you joint owners of the Ground, we
will increase your representatives on the
Committee from 4 to 6, and lastly ... all
the Club feels it is justly entitled to is
funds sufficient to maintain the Club as a club ... the balance shall be handed over
to you to dispose of in accordance with your constitution”.
There were two modifications to the original proposals requested by the LTA that the
Chairman disliked. First was the creation of a Board of Arbitration to settle any disputes
when terms cannot be agreed if either side were to give five years’ notice of not wishing to
continue. Second was the fact that, in effect, the Council of the LTA, through the Joint
Finance Board, would control any change of policy affecting revenue or expenditure and the
allocation of tickets. Nevertheless, the Chairman still felt the Agreement worth signing.
The first member to speak was Denys Stocks. After expressing concern about trying to
absorb the terms of the proposed new Agreement in such a short time, his first comment was
to ask why, a mere four years after the conclusion of the last Agreement (the 1928
Supplemental Agreement), that was due to run until 1954, it was necessary to have a new
one. Describing the LTA as “the cuckoo in the nest” as a result of the 1922 Agreement, he
asked why it was felt necessary to give away half the Club’s ownership in the ground.
“All this Agreement says is that in 1972, after we have given the LTA for nothing half of the
property of the Club, the Club is entitled to go to an arbitrator, not to determine the terms on which the
LTA may carry on Championships on our ground, but ... the terms and conditions upon which the
Club shall have the right to use its own grounds ... a most extraordinary position.”
Mr Stocks was perfectly happy that he, as a member, should not benefit financially from
The Championships but, at the same time, he said: “I am very reluctant to hand over to the Lawn
Tennis Association for nothing half the property which this Club owns. I cannot see any necessity for it
... we do not want to make money, we do not want to dispose of our property – it is the last thing we
want – we want to keep the interests of the game; we undertake we will not dispose of anything at all as
long as you undertake the Championships shall be held on our ground.What fairer than that? What
more do they want?”
The clapping which followed indicated a wide measure of support for Mr Stocks’ views
among the members present. Next came speeches by Mr E.J. Harrison and Mr F.W. Perceval
supporting Mr Stocks and expressing concern about other financial aspects of the proposed
Agreement. Mr E.A. Stoner wondered if there really was this urgency. “Can’t we adjourn until
158
1931-1939
– British and American Supremacy
the autumn so as to give members a better chance?” he asked. Mr E. Pretty seconded the motion
that the meeting should be adjourned and that the speeches of the Chairman and others be
circulated to all members.
The suggestion of Mr Turnbull that a small committee of members be set up to go over
the points raised and come forward with suggestions to the Committee was supported by Mr
Gibson. The Chairman, realising that the day was lost, embarked upon a long closing speech
in which he justified the decision to give away half of the Club because there was, he said, “a
serious risk of arousing a hostile spirit in the Council in general and in those who desired to continue in
association with us, and unless we took some steps to remedy this we might alienate those who are at
present our friends”.
The Chairman then took a vote
on the motion to adjourn the meeting
until some convenient date at the end
of October and to appoint four
members to meet with four members
of the Club Committee and report to
that meeting. The motion was carried
nem. con. and Mr A.D. Stocks, Mr R.J.T.
Gibson, Mr F.W. Perceval and Mr G.C.
Ball Greene were nominated to serve
on the small committee.
So ended arguably the most
important meeting the Club had held
since first deciding to hold a tennis
tournament in 1877. During the weeks
that followed the sub-committee held
many discussions with Committee
representatives and proposed a set of
amendments which answered some of
the members’ concerns.
The terms of a revised Agreement were put before members at an SGM on 29 March
1933 and were passed unanimously. The vote to approve the signing of the Agreement was
passed at another SGM held immediately after the AGM on 7 December 1933. It still
transferred 50 per cent ownership of the Ground Company to the LTA but there was now a
break clause. Either party would be able to say that they wished to end the Agreement,
provided notice was given five years in advance of 31 December 1972. The Club would be
allowed to continue to manage The Championships via a Management Committee
consisting of 12 Club members and six LTA members. The LTA would control by six to
three a newly created Joint Finance Board which would have wide powers over expenditure
and changes of policy. After covering expenses and tax, plus monies needed to repay
Debentures and provide for a Ground Company Reserve Fund, the entire surplus would go
each year to the LTA for them to run the game in Britain.
Now that the LTA had been offered a 50 per cent ownership of the ground, extra
representation on the Management Committee, control of the Joint Finance Board, as well as
the entire surplus from The Championships each year, most Councillors felt they had done
well; not Mr Monckton, though.
At the Extraordinary General Meeting of the LTA, held in their offices at River Plate
House in Finsbury Circus on 21 February 1934, Monckton tried to insist that the LTA
should continue to pursue control of The Championships. Over recent weeks Monckton had
159
The outside courts in 1934
were less crowded than they
are during the first week of
The Championships today.
The men are all dressed in
long white flannels, as they
would be until the post-war
era, and the crowded car parks
in Somerset Road reveal the
foresight of the Committee
men who loaned money to the
Club for their purchase.
WIMBLEDON: THE OFFICIAL HISTORY
Famously the first man to wear
shorts on Centre Court was
Britain’s Davis Cup hero
Bunny Austin. In an era when
decorum and the dress code were
widely observed (notice the
formal attire of the spectators
with ties for the men and hats
for most of the ladies), the
fashion did not become the norm
until after the war when life
generally became more informal.
shown his disdain for the proposed new Agreement with articles in Lawn Tennis and
Badminton and the Birmingham Post which had been answered briefly by the LTA Secretary,
Mr Batley. Now Monckton could personally express to his fellow Councillors his strong
feelings: “I want you to concentrate on three main points and one sub-point.The first point is this: do
not forget that you are the governing body of the game.The next is: do not forget that you own, as Mr
Batley has told you, the five most valuable Championships in the world.The third is: do not forget
that if the three All-England Championships are ever lost or unmarried from our Championships,
they fall back again into the ordinary category of territorial championships in this country with no
privileges whatever.”
In full flow now, Mr Monckton condemned the financial arrangements which, he said,
were strongly in favour of the Club: “Anything that is contributed to Debenture redemption and
anything that is contributed to capital is going to come eventually out of our pockets because it will reduce in
the first instance our 60 per cent and it will reduce any chance we have of getting anything out of the 40
per cent ... to my knowledge they would have no difficulty in spending the whole of the 40 per cent if they
wished to do so ... there are two unlimited items in that category; one is overseas tours, with no limit of
expenditure, and the other is capital expenditure on the buildings and ground improvements and – a very
nice, large word – ‘amenities’, in which they could probably include everything.”
Turning now to the question of the governing body he asked: “Can you imagine any other
governing body of any kind entering into an arrangement of this kind? ... what would you say to the
governing body of a school who handed over to their staff of masters the whole control of the school for
40 years, upon their making certain reservations that they would return to the governors a certain
160
1931-1939
– British and American Supremacy
amount of money at the finish if they had it to spare? The idea is preposterous!”
So too, he thought, was the inclusion of future Championships owned by the LTA: “We
are not only going to deprive posterity of what we have already, but of anything they may get in the
future! That is a preposterous thing and was not in when this thing was approved in November; it has
been put in since.”
Mr Monckton then turned his fire on aspects of the joint ownership which was one of
the points on which he had been thwarted when negotiating the 1922 Agreement.
“With regard to this question of the ownership of shares in the ground ... I suppose you have
noticed that all the money which we put into it hereafter for the redemption of Debentures and for
capital expenditure will never be recovered by the Association at all. I asked members of the Club about
that and could get no answer as to why that was ... Mr Batley explained ... that ‘you cannot expect
your National Championships to be run on the ground without paying rent for them’ ... but you must
remember that we have got half shares in the ground and there is no mention whatever of the Club
paying anything for the running of their share of the Championships on the ground, nor for their having
the use of the ground for the whole of the rest of the year ... and we have it for certain purposes during 20
days in the year at the outside. It seems to me to be ridiculous.”
After having a dig at the Club for a rise in salaries paid to Club employees, Mr Monckton
asked why Clause 12, which listed privileges that should be enjoyed equally by Club members
and Councillors, had been dropped.
It had been a long speech. The Councillors were getting restless. There were cries of “vote ...
vote”. But Mr Monckton had one last score to settle.
“I would just call your attention, in conclusion, to the resolution which was passed in February
1906, proposed by two gentlemen who still sit on the Council ... it was to the effect that an effort be
made to come to some amicable arrangement with the All England Club by which the management of
the English Championships, as they were called then by the proposer, should in future be under the
control of the Lawn Tennis Association ... I am going to ask that gentleman and his seconder to explain
to you why they have changed their mind so considerably, that when they had no Championship of their
own they wanted to control the management of the Club’s Championship, but when they have their five
most valuable Championships in the world they wish to hand over management of them, without any
control, to the Club.The gentlemen I ask to do that are Mr Macfie, now Brigadier-General Macfie, and
Mr Prebble, his seconder.”
The Chairman spared the blushes of the two worthy gentlemen by calling for a vote. The
result was no surprise. On a show of hands the resolution was carried by 92 votes to six and
with the proxies added the totals were: For 398, Against 27.
The final form of the Agreement, due to run until 1972, was signed by both parties on 15
May 1934. So ended a long-running battle which ultimately left both parties feeling reasonably
satisfied. In the pre-open era the new Agreement, revised by the 1966 Supplemental
Agreement, was the basis of a successful and largely harmonious working relationship between
the Club and the LTA. Generally speaking it served its purpose well. The Club got on with
running The Championships and the LTA ran the game in Britain.
161
Bjorn Borg
•
Born: 6 June 1956
•
1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980
x
This Swede was one of the giants.
He won his first Grand Slam title
with the French Open in 1974 when
he was barely 18. In 1981 he won
it for the sixth time – a record. At
Wimbledon he controlled events
for five tremendous years. Curiously
his initial victory in 1976 was the
most one-sided and was the only
occasion he did not lose a set. He
made his Davis Cup debut when
only 15. His double-fisted backhand
and his heavy, topspun forehand,
combined with a lethal serve, made
him virtually invincible when on
form. His Wimbledon record was
unsurpassed until the arrival of Pete
Sampras and Roger Federer in later
years. He won 41 successive singles
matches and his eventual defeat
was in the 1981 final against John
McEnroe. The US title, however,
eluded him, the blot on an almost
perfect record. He retired in 1982
when only 26. He was then a
millionaire but he ceased being a
tax exile in Monte Carlo to return
to his native Sweden. His example
created a vast school of effective
Swedish players.
John McEnroe
•
Born: 16 February 1959
•
1981, 1983, 1984
Boris Becker
•
Born: 22 November 1967
•
1985, 1986, 1989
x
x
This left-handed genius, supreme
in singles and doubles, rarely ceased
to be sensational. When a junior in
1977 he turned form upside down
by qualifying for Wimbledon and
then reaching the semi-finals. His
emergence as champion in 1981 was
through brilliant play combined with
controversial behaviour. His readiness
to argue with officials and his lack of
graciousness caused the All England
Club to take the unprecedented step
of withholding the normal honorary
membership of the Club after
winning. The honour was given a
year later when, though not winning,
he had purged his offence by good
behaviour. He showed his flair
equally in the US Open where he
succeeded in 1979, 1980, 1981 and
1984. In the French Open (where
he won the mixed doubles in 1977)
he met with surprising failure and
in 1984 actually dissipated a twosets-to-love lead in the final against
the Czechoslovak Ivan Lendl. Four
times he was in winning US Davis
Cup teams. He won five Wimbledon
doubles titles – four with Peter
Fleming, one with Michael Stich.
The 99th Wimbledon meeting
produced its most remarkable
winner. At 17 years, 227 days,
Boris Becker, from Leimen in West
Germany, became the youngest
gentlemen’s singles winner of all
time. By losing a total of eight
sets (winning 166 games, losing
126) he became the most laboured
winner. He was the first German
singles winner among men and the
first unseeded victor since seeding
began in 1927. When he successfully
defended his title a year later with
an impressively mature performance
against world champion Ivan Lendl,
he silenced forever those critics
who had called his first win lucky.
His third win in 1989 was followed
by success at the US Open and in
1996 he won the second of his two
Australian titles. Twice he led West
Germany to Davis Cup success in
1988 and 1989, on both occasions
against Sweden. A national hero,
according to a newspaper report he
was better known in Germany than
the Chancellor.
Virginia Wade
•
Born: 10 July 1945
•
1977
x
Born in Bournemouth, trained in
South Africa, where her father was
Archdeacon of Durban, she indicated
her strength of character by sitting
for her science degree at Sussex
University during the course of a
Wightman Cup match; she had
success in both. Her Wimbledon
triumph was a patriotic highlight and
perfectly timed, being in front of the
Queen in her Silver Jubilee year and
on Wimbledon’s centenary. Thereafter
she became a national treasure. She
had acquired the first US Open in
1968 and the Australian in 1972 but
her Wimbledon success was after 15
earlier failures. Her aggressive game
was often costly in its mistakes and
put her legion of supporters through
agonies of suspense. She competed
for the 24th consecutive time in 1985
in singles. She was the first woman
elected to the Committee of the All
England Club.
Martina
Navratilova
•
Born: 18 October 1956
•
1978, 1979, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985,
1986, 1987, 1990
x
Arguably the greatest champion
among women, Martina Navratilova
has contributed more than any other
player to Wimbledon’s glorious
history. Her nine singles titles stand
alone and her seven in doubles
(five with Pam Shriver) plus four in
mixed give her a total of 20, a record
she shares with Billie Jean King.
A highly trained athlete, Martina
dominated the sport for more than a
decade with her bold attacking game
that brought her 167 tournament
victories in singles and 177 in
doubles as well as 10 Grand Slam
mixed titles. No woman in tennis
history has been so professional. Her
tremendous earning capacity (she
won more than $21 million in prize
money alone) enabled her to employ
expert and continuing advice, not
only in training but in matters often
thought peripheral, like diet. She
turned herself into the most expert
and complete woman player
in the history of the sport.
WIMBLEDON:
THE
WIMBLEDON:
THE OFFICIAL
HOFFICIAL
ISTORY HISTORY
SPOTLIGHT ON WIMBLEDON
Players and Fashion
SPOTLIGHT ON WIMBLEDON: PLAYERS AND FASHION
horizontal stripes. No players among the men had more elegance and style, or
more followers in fashion, than the brothers Reggie and Laurie Doherty
(champions for virtually a decade from 1897–1906).
For the ladies, conventions were strict in the late 19th century.
Modesty was required at all times. Ladies would wear attire on a tennis
court similar to the dresses worn during the day – long garments which
even covered the ankles, wrists and neck. With boned corsets and then
layers of petticoats to fill out the skirt, it was difficult for them to run
and bend, twist and leap for their shots. A straw hat or boater would
often top the costume. Maud Watson, in 1884 the first winner, followed
the custom. Importantly, ladies wished to avoid any signs of perspiration
despite running. All-white clothing, concealing embarrassing stains, was
the answer. The ‘all-white’ convention was established.
Perhaps the first major clothing controversy came in 1887. Just 15
years old and still at school, Lottie Dod was permitted to play in
calf-length skirts, without corsets or petticoats, equivalent to her
school uniform, and with comfortable shoes. Quicker about the court
than her rivals, she duly won the title. Britain’s Dorothea Lambert
Chambers (the winner seven times between 1903 and 1914)
nevertheless triumphed while still wearing stiff petticoats – but the hats had gone. May
Sutton (the first American to win the women’s title), however, caused a stir in 1905 when
she played with her shirtsleeves rolled up, revealing her wrists, because they were “too long
and too hot”.
JUST LIKE THE GAME ITSELF, TENNIS FASHION HAS CHANGED BEYOND ALL
RECOGNITION SINCE THE FIRST CHAMPIONSHIPS
A long-standing and unique feature of Wimbledon is the all-white (or almost
entirely white) clothing of the players. Crisp and clean against the green grass, it
simply looks right. Surprisingly, it was not until 1963 that a specific rule requiring
‘predominately in white’ clothing was formally introduced.
The dress and attire of the players have changed significantly over the history of
The Championships, reflecting the trends of the period – and, in more recent years,
the influence of clothing manufacturers promoting the images of their sponsored
players. A review of the fashions and attire of the game’s leading players is itself a
fascinating story which can be seen in the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum.
V I C TO R I A N E R A x In the early years of The Championships, the
Reggie Doherty, with his
brother Laurie, led trends of
gentlemanly elegance at the
turn of the 20th century.
accepted dress for ‘gentlemen’ tennis players was similar to that worn for playing
cricket. Well-cut flannels, usually cream or white, long-sleeved flannel or cotton
shirts, a short silk tie – spotted or striped and with squared-off ends – combined
comfort with ease of movement. Trousers were kept up with a variety of striped or coloured
belts, scarves or sashes. A few players in the 1880s started to adopt cream knickerbockers,
fastened at the knee, with long black or navy socks and a long-sleeved rugby-style shirt with
430
431
Opposite: Maria Sharapova
plays freely in an elegant
dress in 2012, with the
restraints on ladies’ players
of a century earlier now
distant history.
Left: This cotton sateen
skirt and blouse, with belt
and buckle, is an elegant
tennis outfit from c. 1900.
Britain’s Dorothea Lambert
Chambers played in an era
of petticoats, stays and
strict Edwardian dress.
WIMBLEDON: THE OFFICIAL HISTORY
P O ST-WA R W I M B L E D O N x After the Second World War, more varied and
France’s Suzanne Lenglen
revolutionised fashion among
the ladies in the 1920s with
her calf-length cotton frocks
and colourful bandeaux.
T W E N T I E S A N D T H I R T I E S x The First World War changed social attitudes.
Bunny Austin was the first
man (in 1933) to play in
shorts on the Centre Court,
here seen alongside a more
traditional opponent.
SPOTLIGHT ON WIMBLEDON: PLAYERS AND FASHION
Everyday wear for the ladies became more informal. On the tennis court, it was the legendary
French champion, Suzanne Lenglen, who transformed tennis fashion in the 1920s with her
daring diaphanous knee-length chiffon dresses with short sleeves, long coloured cardigans and
a collection of matching bandeaux. Her balletic style, personality and skill captivated the tennis
world and beyond. Her doubles partner, American Elizabeth Ryan, said: “All women players
should go on their knees in thankfulness to Suzanne for delivering them from the tyranny of
corsets.” It was in 1927 that Billie Tapscott became the first woman at Wimbledon to play in
ankle socks and bare legs rather than the long, white traditional stockings.
By the late 1930s, among the women, American players were
dominating Wimbledon and bringing with them an efficient, practical
dress look. Helen Wills Moody wore wide-pleated skirts, short-sleeved
blouses and golf-style eyeshades; Pauline Betz wore jockey caps,
shorts and short-sleeved shirts; Helen Jacobs and Alice Marble
favoured flannel shorts and crew-neck T-shirts, while divided skirts
became popular.
Among the men, change was less dramatic. Long, comfortable
trousers with turn-ups were favoured both on and off the court.
Sweaters were usually of the cable-stitch variety preferred by cricketers.
This was the look of great champions from Bill Tilden to Fred Perry,
although a certain panache was provided by the French ‘Four
Musketeers’ (of whom René Lacoste would have a lasting influence, on
and off the court, through the ‘crocodile’ branded kit of which he was a
founder). Yet in 1933 signs of revolution were seen at Wimbledon
– Britain’s Bunny Austin became the first player to wear shorts on the
Centre Court. Long flannels were, though, still being worn after the
Second World War with Yvon Petra in 1946 being the last champion to
play in long trousers.
432
interesting changes in fashion were witnessed at Wimbledon among the women. Most were
inspired by one man – Ted Tinling, an Englishman brought up in the south of France and
frequently a young umpire in a group accompanying Suzanne Lenglen. He became the game’s
leading fashion designer. No controversy was greater than his design for Gussie Moran at
Wimbledon in 1949. At first she wished to use colour on her dress but this was rejected.
Instead, Tinling designed a satin-trimmed dress complying with the all-white convention – but
sufficiently short that frequent glimpses could be seen of lace-edged panties. The design
received great publicity but was only worn once, in a second round match, before the
Committee expressed its firm disapproval. Tinling, who also had an official liaison role with the
players at Wimbledon, was forced to resign from that post.
Tinling’s legacy to the sport was, however, immense. His beautiful creations were worn by
numerous post-war champions over three decades in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, from Maria
Bueno to Evonne Goolagong and the three British champions, Angela Mortimer, Ann Jones and
Virginia Wade. The last champion to wear a Tinling creation at Wimbledon was Martina
Navratilova in 1979. He set new standards in terms of materials and designs. Many of his
loveliest dresses were for the elegant Brazilian, Maria Bueno. In 1962 controversy struck again.
In one match, Bueno’s undergarment was in navy and turquoise, suspiciously close to the
Club’s colours. In her semi-final, “shocking” pink diamond shapes on her skirt lining, and across
her panties, were clearly visible and also showed through the white of her dress. The following
year, 1963, the entry conditions were changed and laid down for the first time that (except for
a cardigan, pullover or headwear) competitors must be dressed ‘predominately in white’.
Attire for the men was far less adventurous. The American champions of the late 1940s and
early 1950s, from Jack Kramer to Vic Seixas, wore short-sleeved shirts (sometimes crew-neck)
and well-cut shorts in a practical ‘down to earth’ look. They were followed by a series of great
Australian champions including Roy Emerson and Rod Laver. Shirts were usually all-white but
occasionally colour–trimmed at the collar and cuff with sweaters and slipovers bearing more
colour (and, frequently, the laurel emblem of Fred Perry clothing with which Britain’s great
In the1960s, Brazilian
Maria Bueno was graceful
and elegant in style but
controversial in dress.
Teddy Tinling was the
sport’s major post-war
fashion designer and his
dresses were joyfully worn
by many of the leading
ladies, as shown here
in 1971.
433
WIMBLEDON: THE OFFICIAL HISTORY
SPOTLIGHT ON WIMBLEDON: PLAYERS AND FASHION
champion was successfully linked). Ladies’
champions Margaret Court and Billie-Jean
King generally wore functional-looking
outfits with skirts (plain or pleated)
becoming shorter in length.
The 1980s saw a wider range of
competing kit manufacturers and colouredged clothing but lightweight fabrics and
efficient styles prevailed – with shorts,
among the men, of stars such as Bjorn Borg,
John McEnroe and Boris Becker all being
much shorter than today’s style.
N I N E T I E S A N D T H E N E W C E N T U RY x One player with a very
Anne White of the USA attempted to bring a new dimension to
‘predominately white’ clothing in 1985 with her all-white body
suit but she was asked not to wear it again for her doubles match
as it was not recognised tennis wear.
Andre Agassi, known for his colourful style, made a welcome return
to Wimbledon in 1991 after a three-year gap to reveal, after much
suspense, a traditional all-white outfit without a trace of colour
but complete with cycling shorts under his tennis shorts.
Venus and Serena Williams
are among many of the
leading ladies now wearing
specially-designed and
distinctive dresses.
434
distinctive image was the flamboyant American Andre Agassi. At first rebelling against the
all-white tradition at Wimbledon, he declined to enter The Championships. In 1991, though, he
changed his mind. As he walked onto the Centre Court, tension was in the air as he unzipped
his tracksuit. Would he challenge the authorities? Agassi teased his audience – to reveal
perfectly all-white shorts and shirt. Perhaps the biggest change among the men was that shirts
became looser and shorts (including those of Pete Sampras) became distinctly longer.
As the 1990s passed into the new century, rewards for the players, on and off the court,
became even greater and intense rivalry between the clothing manufacturers led to more
distinctive designs and use of the latest materials to promote the images of their
sponsored players. At Wimbledon, the entry conditions were clarified in 1995 to
state that “each individual item of clothing must be almost entirely white in
colour”. Shoes must also be almost entirely white. Rules regarding the size and
placement of manufacturers’ logos or other advertising material were also
keenly negotiated. One manufacturer, adidas, even made a legal challenge in
court in 2006 before revised rules were agreed with the leading
manufacturers and settled by the Grand Slam Committee.
It has, as ever, been among the women that the variety of dress
continues to be greatest. After a period of more functional-looking attire,
specially-designed dresses for the leading players have again been
common across the lawns of Wimbledon – from Maria Sharapova to
Venus and Serena Williams. Among the men, perhaps the most
individual look was that of Rafael Nadal who, in 2005, introduced his
sleeveless shirt and three-quarter-length ‘piratas’ which he wore for a
number of years. Multi-winning champion Roger Federer kept his most
distinctive look (apart from an early ponytail) to various classically-styled
cream jackets as he walked on court.
Dress and attire will continue to change. Colour trim (and sometimes more)
continues to be used to provide individuality but Wimbledon’s ‘almost entirely
white’ rule still preserves a traditional look at The Championships which is very
different from the other Grand Slams. The ‘white’ tradition is unlikely to change.
435
Rafael Nadal’s ‘piratas’
and sleeveless shirt was a
different and notable style
for several years.
A selection of Roger
Federer’s outfits (including
memorable white jacket)
show the classic refined
style for which he is famous.