Over the last 149 years, Wimbledon has become synonymous with one thing: tennis.
For two weeks every year, the leafy London suburb holds the world's gaze as the best of the sport descends on its grounds for the oldest and most prestigious tennis tournament in history.
The Wimbledon Championships first took place in 1877 and SW19 has since become a one of the most iconic sporting landscapes in the world.
With the Championships back underway for another year, how exactly does it work?
The history of Wimbledon
The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club hosted its first ever Championships 149 years ago on the lawns of Wimbledon.
That time round, the only event held was the Gentlemen's Singles competition, with 22 men competing for the inaugural title. Spencer Gore took the crown defeating William Marshall 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 in just 48 minutes.
The Ladies' Singles and Men's Doubles competitions were both added in 1884, and the Ladies' Doubles and Mixed Doubles finally completed the line up in 1913.
Notably, until 1922, the reigning champion only had to play in the final, granted a place straight away in the showpiece against whoever had won a place to challenge them.
The Championships were first televised in 1937 and the advent of the new Open Era in 1968 saw the event change from amateur to professional for the first time and create the format we know and love today.
The format of Wimbledon
Historically, Wimbledon takes place over a two-week period starting on either the last Monday in June or first Monday in July, and consists of five main, four junior and seven invitational events.
All elite events are single-elimination tournaments and run throughout the full two weeks, with the ladies' singles final played on the last Saturday and the men on the closing Sunday.
The 2022 edition saw the inclusion of scheduled play on the middle Sunday for the first time in the Championship's history.
Of all the memories Andy Murray has given us, one stands above the rest.
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 4, 2024
On 7 July 2013, in living rooms and town squares across the country, we celebrated the end of a 77-year-wait... pic.twitter.com/j23kLcwkRE
Both the men's and ladies' singles events consist of 128 players, with invitations sent out based on player's international rankings (104 direct for men, 108 direct for women). There are then eight wildcard slots for each competition, with the rest of the places made up from athletes who come through the Qualifying tournament.
Since 2001, 32 players have been given seedings in the Gentlemen's and Ladies' singles and 16 teams in the doubles events.
Notable British singles wins at Wimbledon
There is no better feeling than winning on home soil.
Over an eight-year period between 1895 and 1908, Charlotte Cooper featured in eight consecutive Wimbledon finals and won the title five times, a milestone that wasn’t broken until Martina Navratilova’s run between 1982-1990.
Brothers Reggie and Lawrence Doherty, meanwhile, were one of the most iconic British tennis duos of the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Known as "Little Do", Laurence won Wimbledon five consecutive times in singles and eight times in doubles with his brother, while three-time Olympic champion Reggie won his first Wimbledon title in 1897 and went on to claim three more.
In a classic Wimbledon final, Kitty McKane lost the first set and trailed 1-4 in the second but came back to hand Helen Wills her only defeat in a singles match in nine appearances at Wimbledon. In 1926, she also won her second Wimbledon singles title and reached the final of the women’s doubles for the third time.
Then came Fred Perry, who produced a Wimbledon hat-trick between 1934-1936 to write his name in the history books.
The Open Era ushered in a new wave of professional players, but it was Virginia Wade who became the first Brit to conquer, becoming the first British woman to win the Wimbledon title in the new format, a record which still stands today.
And 13 years ago, Sir Andy Murray joined the ranks of British winners. The Scot had reached the final of Wimbledon for the first time of his career in 2012 but lost out to Swiss superstar Roger Federer, before turning the tables at his home Olympics and taking the title.
A year later, he landed the Wimbledon men's title he and the nation craved, defeating Novak Djokovic in straight sets during a three-hour long final. And in 2016, he did it again.
The Wimbledon Queue
The Ballot for Wimbledon opens months in advance and is notoriously difficult to get tickets for.
However, for those still wishing to grace the grounds at SW19 each year, the Queue is the place to be.
Thousands of tennis fans flock to Wimbledon Park every morning to queue up and buy tickets across the fortnight, with many taking to camping overnight to try and get court seats.
For the rest, grounds passes are £30 and allow fans to watch live action on court 3 downwards as well as enjoy the atmosphere that comes with Wimbledon, including the iconic Henman's Hill.
But make sure to get there early, with the Queue crowds often leaning towards 6,000 people by 6am each morning.
Where to watch Wimbledon 2026
You can catch all the action live on the BBC, with every match streamed on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website.
Furthermore, the BBC recently announced that they will retain their rights for Wimbledon until 2033.
Sportsbeat 2026