All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club
The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club ( German Association for lawn tennis and croquet for the whole of England ) is a club in Wimbledon , a suburb of London in England . The club has become known as the host of the annual England tennis championships . President is the Duke of Kent .
history
In 1868 the club was founded as the All England Croquet Club and a short time later added the then still young sport of tennis to its program. The first tennis championship was held in 1877 and the club was renamed The All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club . In 1882 the name Croquet was completely deleted from the club name for seven years. In 1889 the club received its name, which is still valid today, as The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club .
Originally intended as a recreational tournament for club members and their families and friends, the championships developed into an event that was to become better known than the actual club. As a Grand Slam tournament , the Wimbledon tournament is now one of the four most important tennis tournaments in the world.
Nowadays the club does not only act as the organizer of the tennis tournament, it still operates as a tennis club and offers its 375 full members and 100 players the opportunity to play tennis all year round. The club also looks after the Wimbledon tennis museum .
The longest tennis game so far in a Grand Slam tournament took place on Court 18 from June 22 to 24, 2010 .
Club area
There are currently 19 tennis courts for official games on the club's premises , as well as various training grounds and croquet areas. The historic Center Court seats 14,000. In the years from 2007 to 2009 the Center Court was rebuilt and expanded to a capacity of 15,000 spectators. It was also given a translucent roof that can be opened and closed in just 10 minutes.
The second large tennis stadium on the site is No. 1 Court , which was built in 1997 and has a capacity of 11,429 spectators.
In both 1908 and 2012 the Olympic (open air) tennis tournament was held on the grounds of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.
The nearest underground station is Southfields on the District Line .
Web links
- Club page (English)
- Official London 2012 website
Competition venues for the 1908 Summer Olympics
Competition venues for the 2012 Summer Olympics
Coordinates: 51 ° 26 ′ 4.2 " N , 0 ° 12 ′ 52" W.