Now we all know that strawberries and cream are the staples of a Wimbledon diet and that Centre Court has a new roof, but just how big is that roof? And how many strawberries do you need to feed the masses for two weeks? Well Team GB is here to answer all those burning questions for you.
The roof:
The moving roof over Centre Court weighs 1,000 tonnes and covers 5,200m2
The roof is 16m above the playing surface and takes 8-10 minutes to close
Catering:
Wimbledon is the largest single annual sporting catering operation in Europe
On average, 28,000kg of strawberries and 7000l of fresh cream are consumed
Tennis balls:
A total of 54,250 balls are used during The Championships fortnight
The balls are stored at 68°F (20°C)
The All England Lawn Tennis Club:
The Wimbledon grounds can accommodate 38,500 spectators at any one time
Centre Court has a capacity of 15,000, the largest permanent tennis stadium in Europe
Ball boys and girls:
Approximately 250 ball boys and girls are selected each year from 700 applicants
Training for ball boys and girls begins in February, lasting 2-2.5hrs per week
Only Andy Murray and Laura Robson remain in the draw for the singles competitions at the Wimbledon Championships, but British interest does end with the singles competitions. Britain has actually had two Wimbledon champions in the last seven years, and if you include the Olympics in that then we’re up to four – better than you may have thought.
Last Brits to win at the All England Lawn Tennis Club:
Olympic men’s singles – Andy Murray (2012)
Olympic mixed doubles – Andy Murray and Laura Robson (2012)
The last Brits to win the Wimbledon Championships:
Men’s singles – Fred Perry (1936)
Women’s singles – Virginia Wade (1977)
Men’s doubles – Jonathan Marray (2012 with Frederik Nielsen – Denmark)
Women’s doubles – Angela Buxton (1956 with Althea Gibson – USA)
Mixed Doubles – Jamie Murray (2007 with Jelena Jankovic – Serbia)