Wimbledon is Here

Wimbledon is finally here. This blog article is intended to give you all the info you want about the most prestigious Grand Slam. Every year it is possibly the most anticipated Grand Slam because it is arguably the classiest and most prestigious of the Grnd Slam tournaments (US Open, French Open, Australian Open, and Wimbledon).

In this article from the BBC, Djokovic--who is currently ranked number four in the world--agrees that Wimbledon is the most prestigious tennis tournament in the world. The article quotes him as saying so, and there is also a short video interview next to the written article that is worth looking at.

Lets take a look at some of Wimbledon's facts.

Wimbledon is actually the oldest of the Grand Slam tennis tournaments, starting in 1877. Wimbledon has an excellent page about their history; it is worth checking out. For example, did you know that person who was nearly a Wimbledon champion ended

up murdering a woman over gambling in Monte Carlo? It's all on Wimgledon's official site.

I found a PDF online that posts Wimbledon's prize money. Just for a few facts: The men's and women's singles champions each get 850,000 British pounds for winning. In dollars that would be close to $1.4 million. In all, Wimbledon will pay 12,550,000 in British pounds in prize money in 2009. Thats roughly $20 million.

If that dream vacation is somewhere in the near future, here is a link to maps of Wimbledon. And just in case you're taking your kids, here is the ball boy/girl application information.

Also, here is a PDF that talks all about the grass courts. Some of the most interesting facts I learned are that each court is mowed and repainted every day of the tournament, that the grass is 8 mm tall, and that the bounce of the ball is determined by the soil not the grass.

Tickets to Wimbledon are easily accessed online. Here is a link to ticket info for 2009. I noticed that a center court ticket on the day of the finals costs 100 pounds ($160). I feel like that is a pretty reasonable price for the most prestigious tennis tournament in the world.

Wimbledon is also very selective about their providers. They only are affiliated with the best and choose sponsors who will boost their image. A few of their sponsors are Rolex, IBM, Slazenger, and Polo. For a complete list of their sponsors, click here.

Well, in the excitement Wimbledon has to offer, I hope these random facts add to some of the thrill of the best tennis tournament of the year. Will Roger Federer really get #15? We'll all know by July 15.