The 2025 Wimbledon Championships take place between 30th June and 13th July 2025, continuing the tradition of running for two weeks starting on either the last Monday of June or first Monday of July. The tournament is organised by and held at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, England. The oldest tennis tournament in the world, the Wimbledon Championships began in 1877 and is the third of the four Grand Slam tennis events held each year, falling after the Australian Open and the French Open, but before the US Open. It is also the only major tournament to still be played on grass, with all rounds played on outdoor grass courts, although Centre Court was fitted with a retractable roof in 2009 to allow play to continue during rain, with a similar roof being installed on No.1 Court in 2019.
The players this year will be following the usual traditions of wearing all white in accordance with the strict dress code of the competition (although women and girls have been allowed to wear dark coloured undershorts since 2023) and playing with tennis balls produced by Slazenger, who have famously provided the balls for the tournament since 1902. The spectators will no doubt be enjoying their own tradition of eating strawberries and cream as they watch the action. In a departure from tradition, though, this year all in-person line judges, who have been making calls of, “out!” for the past 147 years, will be replaced by electronic line calling systems. The only umpire on the court for the 2025 Championships will be the chair umpire, although a new role of ‘match assistant’ has been created so that players can be escorted to the bathroom or have their racquets taken to the stringer.
Both the men’s and ladies’ singles tournaments consist of 128 players, and most players earn their place at the Championships via their international ranking. However, both tournaments have eight wild card entrants, decided by the Wimbledon Committee of Management. Players are selected on the basis of previous performance or public interest and are designed to add some additional excitement to the tournament – everyone loves an underdog, after all! However, the only wild card player to have ever won the Gentlemen’s Singles Championship was Goran Ivanisevic in 2001.
When it comes to prize money, the stakes are high, with the Gentlemen’s Singles and Ladies’ Singles winners receiving over £2,000,000 each in prize money. The prize money for men and women has been equal since 2007, with doubles winners earning over £600,000 per team. In addition to the prize money, the Gentlemen’s Singles champion is presented with a silver gilt cup, while the Ladies’ Singles champion is awarded the sterling silver Venus Rosewater Dish. Of course, both trophies reside at the All England Club museum, but the winners are provided with three-quarter size replicas to keep. Doubles winners are presented with silver cups, while the runner-up in each category receives an inscribed silver plate. Trophies are usually presented by the Patron of the All England Club, H.R.H. Catherine, The Princess of Wales.
