On the 9 July, 1877, the first Wimbledon Championship was held at the All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club in Wimbledon, London. Later recognised as the first Grand Slam tournament. and the world’s first official lawn tennis tournament.
The All England Croquet Club in July 1868, by six gentlemen at the offices of The Field, a weekly country and sports magazine. Lawn tennis introduced in 1875, to compensate for the waning interest in croquet. In June 1877 the club decided to organise a tennis tournament to pay for the repair of its pony roller, needed to maintain the lawns. Its first set of rules was drawn up for the tournament, derived from the first standardised rules of tennis issued by the Marylebone Cricket Club.
The Gentlemen’s Singles competition, the only event of the championship, was contested on grass courts by 22 players who each paid one guinea to participate.
The tournament began on 9 July 1877. The final, which was delayed for three days by rain, was played on ten day later in front of a crowd of about 200 people who each paid an entry fee of one shilling.
The winner received 12 guineas in prize money and a silver challenge cup, valued at 25 guineas, donated by the sports magazine The Field.
Spencer Gore , a 27-year-old racquets player from Wandsworth, who also played cricket for Surrey, became the first Wimbledon champion, defeating William Marshall, a 28-year-old real-tennis player, in three straight sets in a final that lasted 48 minutes.
The tournament made a profit of £10 and the pony roller remained in use.
9 July, 2019