Everything you need to know about Wimbledon 2024

Officially known as “The Championships, Wimbledon” (fancy), the competition dates back to 1877, making it the oldest — and arguably most prestigious — tennis tournament in the world.

• A fun fact? Since its inception, Wimbledon’s been played at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, a grass court nestled in the London neighborhood of Wimbledon, of course.

The tourney began with men’s singles, but a women’s singles championship was introduced in 1884, the same year a men’s doubles tourney was added. By 1913, the tournament featured mixed doubles and women’s doubles, but Wimbledon wouldn’t open to professionals until 1968.

Wimbledon is the only Grand Slam tennis event played on grass, and similar to clay, pros either excel on or fall victim to the terrain.

• Why? Because when properly cared for (as the Wimbledon courts certainly are), the grass surface creates super speedy play that can cause tennis balls to bounce unpredictably, adding an extra layer of fun to the already difficult game.

Historically speaking, tennis legends Martina Navratilova and Roger Federer are considered the best on grass. Navratilova won a whopping nine Wimbledon singles titles, the most of any tennis player, and Federer secured eight, the most of any man. Light work.

With nearly 150 years of history, Wimbledon features many notable traditions. For starters, the tournament mandates a strict dress code for participants, complete with a list of rules dedicated specifically to clothing and equipment, including the mandate of an all-white dress code.

• The original reasoning behind the color choice was due, in part, to the “cooling effects,” and to allow athletes to sweat discreetly since signs of sweat were deemed “improper.”

• But beginning with last year’s tourney, players are finally allowed to wear dark undershorts while competing, acquiescing to concerns from women pros about playing in white while menstruating.

As for a much sweeter tradition, Wimbledon’s also known for a delicious summertime snack staple — strawberries and cream.

• An average of 200k servings of strawberries and cream are consumed at each tournament, purchased at a price that’s remained the same since 2010: £2.50 (about $3.16 USD).

• Plus, spectators are allowed to bring their own bottle of wine or champagne or two cans of beer to cut down on costs. How thoughtful.

🇵🇱 World No. 1 Iga Świątek: Stop us if you’ve heard this before, but this year’s French Open champ Świątek is the favorite to nab her sixth career Grand Slam title. That said, she’s never advanced past the quarter-finals in four tries at Wimbledon. Fifth time’s the charm?

🇺🇲 World No. 2 Coco Gauff: A crowd favorite everywhere she goes, Gauff reached the semis in both majors so far this year, tearing up the court since her 2023 US Open win. Like Świątek, Gauff has never made a deep run at Wimbledon, but, with her ranking at a career-high, she’s never looked better.

🏅 World No. 3 Aryna Sabalenka: Power player Sabalenka reached the semis of last year’s Wimbledon and is itching to add another Grand Slam to her trophy case after winning her second consecutive Australian Open in January. Never doubt the girl with the tiger tattoo.

🇺🇲 World No. 5 Jessica Pegula: Buffalo, New York’s very own made a serious WTA statement last week, taking down doubles partner Gauff en route to winning the Berlin Open — her first grass tourney victory. Pegula has never advanced past a Grand Slam quarter-final, but sometimes, timing makes all the difference, and the World No. 5 is right on schedule.

🇨🇿 World No. 6 Markéta Vondroušová: The defending champion pulled off upset after upset in last year’s tourney but has struggled to find her form this year. However, if anyone can surprise the English crowd a second time, it’s Vondroušová.

🇯🇵 World No. 111 Naomi Osaka: Ranking aside, Osaka was the only opponent who truly gave Świątek a run for her money at this year’s French Open — not too shabby for just her second major since giving birth to her daughter last July. Never count a four-time Grand Slam–winning mom out.

🇮🇹 World No. 1 Jannik Sinner: The 22-year-old is playing the best tennis of his life, winning the Australian Open in January and reaching the semis at the French Open earlier this month. Now, Sinner enters a major as the top seed for the first time just days after claiming his first grass-court title.

🇷🇸 World No. 2 Novak Djokovic: With the aforementioned pesky knee injury looming, the question remains if the 37-year-old can handle the setback, or if Father Time has finally caught up to The Joker.

🇪🇸 World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz: With his recent French Open win, defending Wimbledon champ Alcaraz is the youngest man to win a major on all three surfaces at age 21. But the clay prodigy looked shaky on grass recently, putting his title defense in danger.

🏅 World No. 5 Daniil Medvedev: Always the bridesmaid, seldom the bride, six-time Grand Slam finalist Medvedev seems to have finally found his stride on the tricky grass surface, reaching the semis of last year’s tourney. Girl dads can truly do it all.

🇺🇲 World No. 12 Tommy Paul: The new top-ranked American man has dominated this year, even winning the Queen’s Club Championships on grass last Sunday. Can he make his deepest Wimbledon run yet on his fifth try? His chances are higher than ever.

🇨🇦 World No. 17 Félix Auger-Aliassime: Montréal’s finest recently celebrated his 200th career win but pulled out of the Halle Open during the first round in mid-June due to injury, which could affect his chances at the All England Club.

The 128 men’s and women’s singles contenders officially began their two-week quest for the Gentlemen’s Singles Trophy and Venus Rosewater Dish tomorrow morning, and you can catch all the action airing on ESPN in the U.S. and TSN in Canada.

• Then mark your cal for the women’s singles final on Saturday, July 13th, followed by the men’s on Sunday, July 14th. A jolly good time.