Your guide to Wimbledon

The tennis action starts today down SW19 way, and here’s your perfect companion to the championships at the All England Tennis Club
Jamie (above) and Andy  Murray will be in action on the grass courts of SW19 over the next fortnightJamie (above) and Andy  Murray will be in action on the grass courts of SW19 over the next fortnight
Jamie (above) and Andy Murray will be in action on the grass courts of SW19 over the next fortnight

It’s time for strawberries and cream, Pimms on the lawn and of course, Wimbledon.

The annual soiree at the All England Tennis club will dominate the next few weeks, but here’s all the facts you need from Ticketbis.net. Total prize money for the players has risen by seven per cent. That means £1.88m each is on offer for the Singles so Novak Djokovic and Petra Kvitová will be fighting hard to defend their titles.

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Did you know only seven Championships have been recorded without rain interruptions since 1922?

History

The Ladies’ Singles Plate has been contested since 1886. The Men’s Singles Cup since 1887.

Current champions

Novak Djokovic (Men’s Singles)

Petra Kvitová (Ladies’ Singles)

Players

More than 750 players will play

Prize Money

Singles Champions: £1.88m

Total: £26.75m

Attendance

Total attendance for 2014: 491,084. Up to 39,000 spectators per day.

Matches

660 during the fortnight

Longest Match

2010, Court 18, played over three days; John Isner (USA) beat Nicolas Mahut (FRA) 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (7), 7-6 (3), 70-68. 11 hours five minutes. The Final set lasted 8hrs 11mins.

Most Aces

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Men: 212 - Goran Ivanisevic (CRO) 2001. Ladies: 57 - Alexandra Stevenson (USA) 1999, Serena Williams (USA) 2008

Fastest Ever Serve

Men: 148mph Taylor Dent – 2010. Women: 129mph - Venus Williams - 2008

English Summer Weather

Only seven Championships have been recorded as being without rain interruptions since: 1931, 1976, 1977, 1993, 1995, 2009, 2010.

Courts

19 Championships grass courts (Centre Court, Court Number 1, plus 17 more). There is no court 13!

Grass

Playing height 8mm.

Hawk

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Rufus, a Harris Hawk, visits the Club most weeks in the year to provide a deterrent to local pigeons.

Balls

54,250 used

No thank you

Fans have been told to leave selfie sticks at home, whilst the players must avoid wearing bright coloured clothes and keep to mainly white shirts and shorts or skirts.

Queue

The 2015 queue starts at 8am on Sunday 28 June. Only a few tickets are available each day for the show courts.

Ground tickets

Buy tickets on the day for standing room and unreserved seating across courts 3-19.

Go online

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Get resold debenture day tickets through sites like Ticketbis.net

Ballot

Go in for the ballot run by All England Lawn Tennis Club. Write to AELTC (P.O. BOX 98, London SW19 5AE) for ballot form, but this has to be sent by December of previous year. Chances are 1 in 10.

Royal box

The Royal Box has 74 seats. Getting an invite is tricky but President Clinton managed it and Kate Middleton found a way in for life!

Refreshments

At the largest single annual sporting catering operation in Europe, these quantities are over the fortnight of play.

350,000 cups of tea and coffee

230,000 glasses of Pimm’s

100,000 pints of draught beer

142,000 portions of English strawberries

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