WIMBLEDON 99: SW19 AND OTHER KEY NUMBERS
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Your support makes all the difference.1The cost, in shillings (5p) for spectators to watch the final of the first Lawn Tennis Championships at Wimbledon in 1877, an amateur competition involving 22 players. The only event was the Gentlemen's singles, won by Spencer Gore, an Old Harrovian rackets player. Centre Court tickets for this year's final cost pounds 60 for those lucky enough to succeed in the ballot. London agents were selling them for pounds 1,600 a pair last week.
13 The number of women taking part in the first Ladies' Singles in 1884, which was won by Maud Watson; 13 is also the total number of Wimbledon titles (singles and doubles) won by the 19th century's equivalent of Tim 'n' Greg, the British twins, Ernest and William Renshaw, between 1881 and 1889. The game's popularity in this period was known as the "Renshaw Rush."
2The number of British men (Arthur Gore and Fred Perry) who have secured home wins in the men's singles since 1907, when Norman Brookes of Australia became the first man from overseas to win the title. Perry last won in 1936. Virginia Wade was the last Briton to win the women's singles, in the centenary tournament in 1977. She remains the highest Briton in the women's all-time earnings list, 50th with $1.54m (pounds 960,000).
1200 The number of seats lost to a bomb that fell on Centre Court in October 1940. The capacity of the main stadium at the time was 14,000. Attendances in the period had rocketed, and reached 200,000 for the first time in 1932. The capacity of Centre Court this year will be 13,813 and total attendances are expected to nudge 450,000.
15The age of Lottie Dod (15 years 10 months) when she won the women's singles title in 1887. She remains the youngest singles winner, although Martina Hingis became the youngest Wimbledon title winner (in doubles) in 1996, aged 15 years 282 days; the youngest world No 1 (16 years, six months and one day); and the youngest player to join the $1m club (16 years, one month and 10 days).
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