In what year was the first Wimbledon Championship held?

The Wimbledon tournament, held annually in late June and early July, is one of the four annual “Grand Slam” tennis events—together with the Australian, French, and U.S. Opens—and is the only tournament still played on natural grass. The first Wimbledon championship was held in 1877 on one of the croquet lawns of the All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club (AEC & LTC) and was initially only open to male tennis players. In 1884 a women’s championship was introduced and the national men’s doubles was transferred to the same courts from Oxford. Mixed doubles and women’s doubles were inaugurated in 1913.

The championships began as a result of dwindling interest in croquet. Lawn tennis was introduced at the club in February 1875. As a fund raising event to pay for repairs of its pony roller (a device used to flatten surfaces), the club decided in June 1877 to organise a tennis tournament. A set of rules was drawn up and the tournament was held. The event made a profit of £10 and the pony roller remained in use.

The first tournament saw 22 players who each paid one guinea to participate. It began on 9 July 1877 with the final played on 19 July. There were about 200 spectators who paid an entry fee of one shilling. The winner received 12 guineas in prize money and a silver challenge cup. The first Wimbledon champion was Spencer Gore who defeated William Marshall in three straight sets, the final lasting 48 minutes.