That time of year again! It’s raining at Glastonbury.The World Cup, Euro’s or Olympics are taking place. And Wimbledon is about to begin. Here are a few facts going back to the beginning of the world famous Championships.
- Up til 1922 defending champions were given an automatic place in the final. That made it so much easier for past champions to win multiple titles. This structure was in place at Wimbledon from 1877 to 1921. Unfortunately this is not the case for current winners. They’ll need to win 7 matches, just like the rest of the field.
- A hawk called Rufus is used to protect Wimbledon from pigeons. The hawk hunts for pigeons between 5:30 to 9:30. Rufus is a Harris hawk with the nickname “Bird Scarer.” Rufus also scares off pigeons at Westminster Abbey.
- Wimbledon is the only major championship with a all white (white-only) dress code. In addition to this the Chair Umpire decides if the players clothing is appropriate.
- The shortest ever Wimbledon final: Suzanne Lenglen defeated F.I. Mallory 6-2, 6-0 in 23 minutes in the 1922 final.
- The first Sunday of Wimbledon is a day off for everyone, making it the only Grand Slam tournaments to have an off day in the middle of the championships.