Wimbledon will celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2027. The Championships have been cancelled only during World War I, World War II and the COVID-19 pandemic. When the inaugural tournament was held in 1877, the 22 competitors each paid an entry fee of one guinea — an old British gold coin. The champion, local resident Spencer William Gore, returned home with prize money of 12 guineas (approximately £12.60 at the time, or around £1,200 in today's value) and received the silver Field Cup, donated by The Field magazine. Official prize money did not arrive until the beginning of the Open Era in 1968.
The southwest London district of Wimbledon may be familiar to readers of H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds — it is where one of the Martian spacecraft famously lands. For sports fans, however, Wimbledon means something entirely different: the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, home of the third Grand Slam of the season. The easiest way to reach the grounds is via the London Underground. Take the District Line to Southfields Station. The journey takes around 30 minutes from central London, costs just over £3, and is followed by a pleasant 15-minute walk to the main entrance.
Getting there, however, is much easier than getting inside. Demand for Wimbledon tickets remains enormous. There are several official options: enter the public ballot organized by the All England Club. Registration opens online during a designated application period, after which successful applicants earn the right to purchase tickets at face value. Join The Queue — Wimbledon’s famous daily ticket line. This requires arriving the day before (or even earlier) and camping overnight under a carefully organized system. Purchase resale tickets through Wimbledon’s official resale platform. Whichever route you choose, patience and good fortune are equally essential.
If you haven't secured a ticket this year, there is still an excellent alternative. Beginning June 29, the Wimbledon Experience fan zone opens at Battersea Power Station in London. Open daily from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. throughout the Championships, admission is completely free. Organizers promise an authentic Wimbledon atmosphere, complete with floral displays, live scoreboards and the tournament's iconic strawberries and cream, served continuously for nearly 150 years.
A giant 15-meter outdoor screen in Power Station Park will broadcast matches throughout the day. Visitors will also have the opportunity to win tickets for Championship Weekend and purchase official Wimbledon merchandise. Battersea is easily accessible from central London in around 30 to 40 minutes by Underground, bus, bicycle or car.
Wimbledon is also adapting to modern audiences. As they did last year, the women's and men's singles finals will begin at 4:00 p.m. rather than the traditional 2:00 p.m. start time. The women's final is scheduled for Saturday, July 11, while the men's final follows on Sunday, July 12. Tournament organizers say the revised schedule is designed to attract larger television audiences across North and South America. Given the unusually hot weather forecast for both Britain and continental Europe this summer, the later start should also benefit players and spectators alike. The Centre Court (14,979 seats) and No. 1 Court (12,345 seats) both feature retractable roofs, ensuring that weather remains little more than a footnote.
Because exceptionally high temperatures are expected during the tournament, the All England Club has also expanded shaded areas throughout the grounds, including the famous Hill and surrounding lawns, in an effort to reduce the risk of heat-related illness among spectators.
Tournament organizers have also addressed player privacy. Competitors received detailed information identifying the location of every security camera inside the All England Club. There are ten cameras in total: four overlooking the practice courts and warm-up area, two inside the gym, one covering the player walkways, one near the locker rooms, one at the transport drop-off zone, and one inside the players' restaurant. All cameras will also appear on official venue maps. Organizers stressed that any footage involving players will be presented respectfully and in a positive manner.
This year's Championships will also allow fans to see several familiar faces in entirely new roles. Two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray (2013, 2016) played his final match at the All England Club in 2024 alongside his older brother Jamie before officially retiring following the Paris Olympics. After briefly joining Novak Djokovic's coaching team at the Australian Open, the former world No. 1 now returns to Wimbledon as a coach, working with 2024 US Open semifinalist Jack Draper. The British duo, however, didn't even start the Championship due to Jack's injury. Less than 24 hours before his first match Draper withdrawed from Wimbledone. So Taylor Fritz will have to face lucky looser Dušan Lajović from Serbia.
Defending champions Jannik Sinner and Iga Świątek now share ten Grand Slam singles titles between them. Their next challenge is a new one: successfully defending the Wimbledon crown for the first time. Sinner begins his title defense on Centre Court on Monday. Świątek follows on Tuesday. Also scheduled to play on Tuesday is 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams. The seven-time Wimbledon winner will face Australia's Maya Joint. Interestingly, Świątek and Serena could meet as early as the third round on July 4 — Super Saturday and, fittingly, American Independence Day.
