By Patrick Pierce
Originally founded in 1877, Wimbledon is the world’s most recognized and oldest tennis tournament, with a total viewership of approximately 1 billion people in 200 territories.
Considering the popularity of Wimbledon, it’s not surprising what is actually required to recreate the iconic tournament each year – extensive preparation and planning is crucial. For example, it is estimated 54,000 balls are used at Wimbledon each year, while over 40 miles of string is fitted to 2,000 rackets over a fortnight.
Wimbledon also has the largest catering capacity of any annual sporting event in Europe. With 2,220 catering staff in total, the average food and drink quantities supplied include:
330,000 cups of tea and coffee
320,000 glasses of Pimm’s
234,000 meals (e.g. sandwiches)
86,000 ice creams
76,000 sandwiches
Strawberries and cream is one of Wimbledon’s most iconic snacks and when laid end-to-end, the strawberries served at Wimbledon would stretch to almost 37 miles – that’s the distance from Wimbledon to Reading!
Furthermore, in 2017 28,000 kg of strawberries were consumed alongside 10,000 litres of fresh cream. Basically, if you’re going to attend Wimbledon 2018, don’t expect to leave hungry!
The tournament has also become recognized for several tennis records that have been set over the years. The longest match, which was played between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut in 2010, lasted a staggering 11 hours and 5 minutes. With regards to records set by gender, Taylor Dent currently holds the record for fastest male serve at 148 mph, while Lucie Hradecka achieved the title of fastest female serve at 125 mph.
The Wimbledon odds 2018 will give you a nice price on either of those service records being broken. However, the most popular betting market on Wimbledon is regards to who will win the event. Roger Federer is currently the favorite in the men’s, whilst bookmaker Betfair believes the women’s tournament is very open – Serena Williams, Petra Kvitova and Garbine Muguruza are the favorites, but all with rather long odds.
Wimbledon has undoubtedly become a tournament of strict tradition over the years. However, with such prestige comes extremely strict rules and regulations to follow – you cannot behave like you’re at a football match here! For example, did you know that Wimbledon has an extremely strict dress code and selfie sticks are completely banned?
Breaking the enforced rules at Wimbledon could have serious consequences. Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton actually received a ban from the Centre Court’s Royal Box in 2015 because he wasn’t wearing a jacket and tie, meaning anyone can be punished for failing to follow the rules, regardless of status.
To ensure you won’t put a foot out of place during your visit 2018’s Wimbledon, this infographic from Betfair depicts six simple do’s and don’ts for you to follow.
