Wimbledon court surfaces

The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon, is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and is considered the most prestigious.[1][2][3] It has been held at the All England Club in the London suburb of Wimbledon since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, and the only one still played on grass courts. The tournament takes place over two weeks in late June and early July, culminating with the gentlemen's singles final, scheduled for the second Sunday. Each year, five major events are contested, as well as four junior events and four invitational events.

Nineteen courts are used at Wimbledon, and since 2001 they have all been sown with 100% Perennial Ryegrass, a grass native to Europe, Asia and northern Africa. Courts were previously 70% Ryegrass and 30% Creeping Red Fescue grass. The grass is hand-weeded and mowed to a height of 8mm everyday of the championship.[4][5]

References

  1. ^ Clarey, Christopher (7 May 2008). "Traditional Final: It’s Nadal and Federer". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/05/sports/tennis/05wimbledon.html?ref=tennis. Retrieved 17 July 2008. "Federer said[:] 'I love playing him, especially here at Wimbledon, the most prestigious tournament we have.'" 
  2. ^ Will Kaufman & Heidi Slettedahl Macpherson, ed (2005). "Tennis". Britain And The Americas. 1 : Culture, Politics, and History. ABC-CLIO. pp. p.958. ISBN 1851094318. "this first tennis championship, which later evolved into the Wimbledon Tournament ... continues as the world's most prestigious event." 
  3. ^ Wimbledon's reputation and why it is considered the most prestigious
  4. ^ "Grass courts general information". Wimbledon. http://aeltc2009.wimbledon.org/en_GB/about/infosheets/grasscourts_general.html. Retrieved 19 June 2009. 
  5. ^ "The Grass at Wimbledon". Tennis Warehouse. http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/newspage.html?cref=2390. Retrieved 19 June 2009.