J. K. Rowling

Joanne "Jo" Rowling, OBE, born 31 July 1965, better known as J. K. Rowling  is a British author best known as the creator of the Harry Potter fantasy series, the idea for which was conceived on a train trip from Manchester to London in 1990. The Potter books have gained worldwide attention, won multiple awards, sold more than 400 million copies and been the basis for a popular series of films, in which Rowling had overall approval on the scripts as well as maintaining creative control by serving as a producer on the final instalment.

Rowling is perhaps equally famous for her "rags to riches" life story, in which she progressed from living on benefits to multi-millionaire status within five years. As of March 2011, when its latest world billionaires list was published, Forbes estimated Rowling's net worth to be US$1 billion. The 2008 Sunday Times Rich List estimated Rowling's fortune at £560 million ($798 million), ranking her as the twelfth richest woman in Great Britain. Forbes ranked Rowling as the forty-eighth most powerful celebrity of 2007,[ and Time magazine named her as a runner-up for its 2007 Person of the Year, noting the social, moral, and political inspiration she has given her fandom.In October 2010, J. K. Rowling was named 'Most Influential Woman in Britain' by leading magazine editors. She has become a notable philanthropist, supporting such charities as Comic Relief, One Parent Families, Multiple Sclerosis Society of Great Britain, and Lumos (formerly the Children's High Level Group).

Harry Potter

Harry Potter books

"The Elephant House" – one of the cafés in Edinburgh in which Rowling wrote the first Harry Potter novel.

In 1995, Rowling finished her manuscript for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone on an old manual typewriter. Upon the enthusiastic response of Bryony Evens, a reader who had been asked to review the book’s first three chapters, the Fulham-based Christopher Little Literary Agents agreed to represent Rowling in her quest for a publisher. The book was submitted to twelve publishing houses, all of which rejected the manuscript. A year later she was finally given the green light (and a £1500 advance) by editor Barry Cunningham from Bloomsbury, a small publishing house in London. The decision to publish Rowling's book apparently owes much to Alice Newton, the eight-year-old daughter of Bloomsbury’s chairman, who was given the first chapter to review by her father and immediately demanded the next. Although Bloomsbury agreed to publish the book, Cunningham says that he advised Rowling to get a day job, since she had little chance of making money in children’s books. Soon after, in 1997, Rowling received an £8000 grant from the Scottish Arts Council to enable her to continue writing. The following spring, an auction was held in the United States for the rights to publish the novel, and was won by Scholastic Inc., for $105,000. Rowling has said she "nearly died" when she heard the news.

In June 1997, Bloomsbury published Philosopher’s Stone with an initial print-run of 1000 copies, five hundred of which were distributed to libraries. Today, such copies are valued between £16,000 and £25,000. Five months later, the book won its first award, a Nestlé Smarties Book Prize. In February, the novel won the prestigious British Book Award for Children’s Book of the Year, and later, the Children’s Book Award. Its sequel, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, was published in July 1998. In October 1998, Scholastic published Philosopher’s Stone in the US under the title of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone: a change Rowling claims she now regrets and would have fought if she had been in a better position at the time.

Life after Harry Potter

Forbes has named Rowling as the first person to become a U.S.-dollar billionaire by writing books,the second-richest female entertainer and the 1,062nd richest person in the world. When first listed as a billionaire by Forbes in 2004, Rowling disputed the calculations and said she had plenty of money, but was not a billionaire. In addition, the 2008 Sunday Times Rich List named Rowling the 144th richest person in Britain. In 2001, Rowling purchased a luxurious 19th-century estate house, Killiechassie House, on the banks of the River Tay, near Aberfeldy, in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. Rowling also owns a home in Merchiston, Edinburgh, and a £4.5 million ($9 million) Georgian house in Kensington, West London, on a street with 24-hour security.

On 26 December 2001, Rowling married Neil Michael Murray (born 30 June 1971), an anaesthetist, in a private ceremony at her Aberfeldy home. This was a second marriage for both Rowling and Murray, as Murray had previously been married to Dr. Fiona Duncan in 1996. Murray and Duncan separated in 1999 and divorced in the summer of 2001. Rowling's and Murray's son, David Gordon Rowling Murray, was born on 24 March 2003. Shortly after Rowling began writing Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince she took a break from working on the novel to care for him in his early infancy. Rowling's youngest child, daughter Mackenzie Jean Rowling Murray, to whom she dedicated Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, was born 23 January 2005.

Rowling is a close friend of Sarah Brown, wife of former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, whom she met when they collaborated on a charitable project (see below). When Brown's son Fraser was born in 2003, Rowling was one of the first to visit her in the hospital.

Rowling has received honorary degrees from St Andrews University, the University of Edinburgh, Napier University, the University of Exeter, the University of Aberdeen and Harvard University, for whom she spoke at the 2008 commencement ceremony. In 2009 Rowling was awarded the Légion d'honneur by French President Nicolas Sarkozy. She revealed publicly, during the Elysée Palace ceremony, that her maternal grandfather was French and had also received the Légion d'honneur for his bravery at the First World War battle of Verdun.

Subsequent writing

Rowling has stated that she plans to continue writing. In an interview with Stephen Fry in 2005, Rowling claimed that she would much prefer to write any subsequent books under a pseudonym; however, she conceded to Jeremy Paxman in 2003 that if she did, the press would probably "find out in seconds. In 2006, Rowling revealed that she had finished writing a few short stories and another children's book (a "political fairy story") about a monster, aimed at a younger audience than Harry Potter readers.

As regards the possibility of an eighth Harry Potter book, she has said, "I can't say I'll never write another book about that world just because I think, what do I know, in ten years' time I might want to return to it but I think it's unlikely. However, on 1 October 2010, JK Rowling had an interview with Oprah stating a new book on the saga might happen.

Rowling has said she will be writing an encyclopaedia of Harry Potter's wizarding world consisting of various unpublished material and notes. Any profits from such a book would be given to charity. During a news conference at Hollywood's Kodak Theatre in 2007, Rowling, when asked how the encyclopaedia was coming along, said, "It's not coming along, and I haven't started writing it. I never said it was the next thing I'd do."As of the end of 2007, Rowling has said that the encyclopaedia could take up to ten years to complete, stating "There is no point in doing it unless it is amazing. The last thing I want to do is to rush something out".

In July 2007, Rowling said that she wants to dedicate "lots" of her time to her family, but is currently "sort of writing two things", one for children and the other for adults. She did not give any details about the two projects but did state that she was excited because the two book situation reminded her of writing the Philosopher's Stone, explaining how she was then writing two books until Harry took over. She stated in October 2007 that her future work was unlikely to be in the fantasy genre, explaining, "I think probably I've done my fantasy ... it would be incredibly difficult to go out and create another world that didn't in some way overlap with Harry's or maybe borrow a little too much from Harry. In November 2007, Rowling said that she was working on another book, a "half-finished book for children that I think will probably be the next thing I publish."In March 2008, Rowling confirmed that her "political fairy tale" for children was nearing completion.

In March 2008, Rowling revealed in interview that she had returned to writing in Edinburgh cafés, intent on composing a new novel for children. "I will continue writing for children because that's what I enjoy," she told The Daily Telegraph. "I am very good at finding a suitable café; I blend into the crowd and, of course, I don't sit in the middle of the bar staring all around me.

Relationship with the press

Rowling has had a difficult relationship with the press. She admits to being "thin-skinned" and dislikes the fickle nature of reporting. "They went in one day from saying, 'She’s got writer’s block' to saying, 'She's been self-indulgent'", she told The Times in 2003, "And I thought, well, what a difference 24 hours makes." However, Rowling disputes her reputation as a recluse who hates to be interviewed. In 2001, the Press Complaints Commission upheld a complaint by Rowling over a series of unauthorised photographs of her with her daughter on the beach in Mauritius published in OK! Magazine. In 2007, Rowling's young son, David, assisted by Rowling and her husband, lost a court fight to ban publication of a photograph of him. The photo, taken by a photographer using a long-range lens, was subsequently published in a Sunday Express article featuring Rowling's family life and motherhood. However, the judgment was overturned in David's favour in May 2008.

Rowling has said she particularly dislikes the British tabloid the Daily Mail, which made references to a stalker Rowling insists does not exist, and conducted interviews with her estranged ex-husband. As one journalist noted, "Harry's Uncle Vernon is a grotesque philistine of violent tendencies and remarkably little brain. It is not difficult to guess which newspaper Rowling gives him to read in Goblet of Fire.

Some have speculated that Rowling's fraught relationship with the press was the inspiration behind the character Rita Skeeter, a gossipy celebrity journalist who first appears in Goblet of Fire. However, Rowling noted in 2000 that the character actually predates her rise to fame: "People have asked me whether Rita Skeeter was invented to reflect Harry Potter's popularity], but in fact she was always planned." "I tried to put Rita in Philosopher's Stone – you know when Harry walks into the Leaky Cauldron for the first time and everyone says, "Mr. Potter you're back!", I wanted to put a journalist in there. She wasn't called Rita then but she was a woman. And then I thought, as I looked at the plot overall, I thought, that's not really where she fits best, she fits best in Four when Harry's supposed to come to terms with his fame.

Philanthropy

In 2000, Rowling established the Volant Charitable Trust, which uses its annual budget of £5.1 million to combat poverty and social inequality. The fund also gives to organisations that aid children, one parent families, and multiple sclerosis research. Rowling said, "I think you have a moral responsibility when you've been given far more than you need, to do wise things with it and give intelligently.

Anti-poverty

Rowling, once a single parent herself, is now president of the charity One Parent Families, having already become their first Ambassador in 2000. Rowling collaborated with Sarah Brown to write a book of children's stories to aid One Parent Families.

In 2001, the UK anti-poverty fundraiser Comic Relief asked three bestselling British authors – cookery writer and TV presenter Delia Smith, Bridget Jones creator Helen Fielding, and Rowling – to submit booklets related to their most famous works for publication. Rowling's two booklets, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Quidditch Through the Ages, are ostensibly facsimiles of books found in the Hogwarts library. Since going on sale in March 2001, the books have raised £15.7 million ($30 million) for the fund. The £10.8 million ($20 million) they have raised outside the UK have been channelled into a newly created International Fund for Children and Young People in Crisis.

In 2005, Rowling and MEP Emma Nicholson founded the Children's High Level Group (now Lumos). In January 2006, Rowling went to Bucharest to highlight the use of caged beds in mental institutions for children. To further support the CHLG, Rowling auctioned one of seven handwritten and illustrated copies of The Tales of Beedle the Bard, a series of fairy tales referred to in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The book was purchased for £1.95 million by on-line bookseller Amazon.com on 13 December 2007, becoming the most expensive modern book ever sold at auction. Rowling commented, "This will mean so much to children in desperate need of help. It means Christmas has come early to me. Rowling gave away the remaining six copies to those who have a close connection with the Harry Potter books. In 2008, Rowling agreed to publish the book with the proceeds going to the Children's High Level Group.

Multiple sclerosis

Rowling has contributed money and support for research and treatment of multiple sclerosis, from which her mother suffered before her death in 1990. In 2006, Rowling contributed a substantial sum toward the creation of a new Centre for Regenerative Medicine at Edinburgh University and in 2010 she donated a further £10 million to the centre. For reasons unknown, Scotland, Rowling's country of adoption, has the highest rate of multiple sclerosis in the world. In 2003, Rowling took part in a campaign to establish a national standard of care for MS sufferers. In April 2009, she announced that she was withdrawing her support for Multiple Sclerosis Society Scotland, citing her inability to resolve an ongoing feud between the organisation's northern and southern branches that had sapped morale and led to several resignations.

Other philanthropic work

In May 2008, bookseller Waterstones asked Rowling and 12 other writers (Sebastian Faulks, Doris Lessing, Lisa Appignanesi, Margaret Atwood, Lauren Child, Richard Ford, Neil Gaiman, Nick Hornby, Michael Rosen, Axel Scheffler, Tom Stoppard and Irvine Welsh) to compose a short piece of their own choosing on a single A5 card, which would then be sold at auction in aid of the charities Dyslexia Action and English PEN. Rowling's contribution was an 800-word Harry Potter prequel that concerns Harry's father, James Potter and godfather, Sirius Black, and takes place three years before Harry was born. The cards were collected together and sold for charity in book form in August 2008.

On 1 and 2 August 2006 she read alongside Stephen King and John Irving at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Profits from the event were donated to the Haven Foundation, a charity that aids artists and performers left uninsurable and unable to work, and the medical NGO Médecins Sans Frontières. In May 2007, Rowling gave $495,000 to a reward fund of over $4.5 million for the safe return of a young British girl, Madeleine McCann, who disappeared in Portugal. Rowling, along with Nelson Mandela, Al Gore, and Alan Greenspan, wrote an introduction to a collection of Gordon Brown's speeches, the proceeds of which are donated to the Jennifer Brown Research Laboratory.

Rowling is a supporter of The Shannon Trust which runs the Toe by Toe Reading Plan and the Shannon Reading Plan in prisons across Britain, which helps and gives tutoring to prisoners who cannot read.

Political views

In September 2008, on the eve of the Labour Party Conference, Rowling announced that she had donated £1 million to the Labour Party, and publicly endorsed Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown over Tory challenger David Cameron, saying in a statement:

I believe that poor and vulnerable families will fare much better under the Labour Party than they would under a Cameron-led Conservative Party. Gordon Brown has consistently prioritised and introduced measures that will save as many children as possible from a life lacking in opportunity or choice. The Labour government has reversed the long-term trend in child poverty, and is one of the leading EU countries in combating child poverty. David Cameron's promise of tax perks for the married, on the other hand, is reminiscent of the Conservative government I experienced as a lone parent. It sends the message that the Conservatives still believe a childless, dual-income, but married couple is more deserving of a financial pat on the head than those struggling, as I once was, to keep their families afloat in difficult times.

Rowling commented on her political views when she discussed the 2008 United States presidential election with the Spanish-language newspaper El País. She said she is obsessed with the United States elections because they will have a profound effect on the rest of the world. In February 2008, she said that both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton would be "extraordinary" in the White House. In the same interview, she also said her hero was Robert F. Kennedy.

In April 2010, Rowling published an article in The Times in which she heavily criticised Cameron's plan to encourage married couples to stay together by offering them a £150 annual tax credit.

Nobody who has ever experienced the reality of poverty could say “it’s not the money, it’s the message”. When your flat has been broken into, and you cannot afford a locksmith, it is the money. When you are two pence short of a tin of baked beans, and your child is hungry, it is the money. When you find yourself contemplating shoplifting to get nappies, it is the money. If Mr Cameron’s only practical advice to women living in poverty, the sole carers of their children, is “get married, and we’ll give you £150”, he reveals himself to be completely ignorant of their true situation. How many prospective husbands did I ever meet, when I was the single mother of a baby, unable to work, stuck inside my flat, night after night, with barely enough money for life’s necessities? Should I have proposed to the youth who broke in through my kitchen window at 3 am? Half a billion pounds, to send a message – would it not be more cost-effective, more personal, to send all the lower-income married people flowers?

Awards and honours

1997: Nestlé Smarties Book Prize, Gold Award for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

1998: Nestlé Smarties Book Prize, Gold Award for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

1998: British Children's Book of the Year, winner Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

1999: Nestlé Smarties Book Prize, Gold Award for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

1999: British Children's Book of the Year, winner Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

1999: Whitbread Children's Book of the Year, winner Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

2000: British Book Awards, Author of the Year.

2000: Order of the British Empire, Officer.

2003: Premio Príncipe de Asturias, Concord.

2003: Bram Stoker Award for Best Work for Young Readers, winner Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

2006: British Book of the Year, winner for Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

2007: Blue Peter Badge, Gold.

2008: British Book Awards, Outstanding Achievement.

2009: Légion d'honneur, presented by French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

2010: Hans Christian Andersen Literature Award, inaugural award winner.

2011: British Academy Film Awards, Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema for the Harry Potter film series, shared with David Heyman, cast and crew.

Honorary degrees: St Andrews University, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh Napier University, University of Exeter, Harvard University

Publications

Harry Potter series

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (26 June 1997)

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2 July 1998)

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (8 July 1999)

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (8 July 2000)

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (21 June 2003)

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (16 July 2005)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (21 July 2007)

Other books

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (supplement to the Harry Potter series) (2001)

Quidditch Through the Ages (supplement to the Harry Potter series) (2001)

The Tales of Beedle the Bard (supplement to the Harry Potter series) (2008)

Roger Federer aiming for seven Wimbledon crowns

With the 125th Wimbledon Championships set to begin in a few days, the eyes of the tennis world will turn to Roger Federer as he chases his seventh Wimbledon title, a feat that would tie him with Pete Sampras for the all-time record.

Although in recent times Federer has not been at his best, the Swiss is still very much capable of running deep into the tournament and winning the record tying seventh title. The 16th time grand slam winner cannot be ruled out of contention in Wimbledon after his excellent performance at Roland Garros where he eventually lost in the final to the ‘King of Clay’- Rafeal Nadal.

Seeded no. 3 in the tournament behind Nadal and Djokovic, a win here would cement Federer’s legacy as the greatest player of all time. After all Wimbledon is his favorite hunting ground which saw him being involved in seven of the past eight Wimbledon finals. HE also won five consecutive Wimbledon title from 2003-2007.

Sportskeeda takes you through to all the final appearance of Roger Federer in Wimbledon as he is geared up to equal Sampras record of Seven Wimbledon titles which he missed last year.

The 16-time grand slam winner is just one title away to equal the Sampras record of 7-titles at the All England club. The Swiss has is now ready to beat Sampras record of 7 Wimbledon titles in the 2011.

Early in 2007, Federer has equaled Bjorn Borg’s record of 5 consecutive wins and later after winning sixth title at Wimbledon. After winning his sixth Wimbledon title in 2009, Federer has surpassed Pete Sampras (14-Grand Slam titles) as the most successful grand slam champion of the Open Era of achieving 15-Grand slam titles in his career.

Pete Sampras is the outstanding champion of Wimbledon. He claimed no fewer than seven Wimbledon men’s singles titles, and if Richard Krajicek had not come along in 1996 to spoil the party, Sampras would have won eight consecutive Wimbledon crowns.

Bjorn Borg’s record of five consecutive Wimbledon wins was broken by Roger Federer in 2007. However, he is only men apart form Federer and Sampras to win Six French Open titles. The Swede has never won at the Australian or US Open.

So it’s time for the Swiss maestro to clinch his 7th title at the All England Club, equalizing Sampras record of 7-titles at Wimbledon.

Wimbledon

Wimbledon Championships, or simply Wimbledon, is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and is generally considered the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in the London suburb of Wimbledon since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, and the only one still played on the game's original surface, grass, which gave the game of lawn tennis its name.

The tournament takes place over two weeks in late June and early July, culminating with the ladies' and gentlemen's singles final, scheduled respectively for the second Saturday and Sunday. Each year, five major events are contested, as well as four junior events and four invitational events.

The hard court Australian Open and clay court French Open precede Wimbledon in the calendar year. The hard court US Open follows. For men, the grass court Queen's Club Championships, also in London, the Gerry Weber Open in Halle, Germany, and the Ordina Open in 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands are popular warm up tournaments for Wimbledon. For women, there are warm-up tournaments in Birmingham and Eastbourne.

Wimbledon traditions include the eating of strawberries and cream, drinking Pimms spritzers, royal patronage and a strict dress code for competitors. In 2009, Wimbledon's Centre Court was fitted with a retractable roof to insure against the possibility of rain delays interrupting Centre Court matches during the tournament.

History

In 1875, lawn tennis, a game devised by Major Walter Clopton Wingfield a year or so earlier and originally called 'Sphairistike', was added to the activities of the club. In the spring of 1877, the club was re-titled 'The All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club' and signalled its change of name by instituting the first Lawn Tennis Championship. A new code of laws (replacing the code until then administered by the Marylebone Cricket Club) was drawn up for the event. Today's rules are similar except for details such as the height of the net and posts and the distance of the service line from the net.

The only event held in 1877 was the Gentlemen's Singles, which was won by Spencer Gore, an old Harrovian rackets player, from a field of 22. About 200 spectators paid one shilling each to watch the final.

The lawns at the ground were arranged so that the principal court was located in the middle with the others arranged around it; hence the title 'Centre Court', which was retained when the Club moved in 1922 to the present site in Church Road, although not a true description of its location. However, in 1980 four new courts were brought into commission on the north side of the ground, which meant the Centre Court was once more correctly defined. The opening of the new No. 1 Court in 1997 emphasised the description.

By 1882, activity at the club was almost exclusively confined to lawn tennis and that year the word 'croquet' was dropped from the title. However, for sentimental reasons, it was restored in 1889 and since then the title has remained The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.

In 1884, the All England Club added ladies' singles and gentlemen's doubles. Ladies' doubles and mixed doubles were added in 1913. Until 1922, the reigning champion had to play only in the final, against whoever had won through to challenge him. As with the other three Grand Slam events, Wimbledon was contested by top-ranked amateur players until the advent of the open era in tennis in 1968. No British man has won the singles event at Wimbledon since Fred Perry in 1936 and no British woman has won the Ladies Singles since Virginia Wade in 1977, although Annabel Croft and Laura Robson won the girls' championship in 1984 and 2008, respectively. The Championship was first televised in 1937.

21st century

Wimbledon is widely considered to be the premier tennis tournament in the world and the priority of The All England Lawn Tennis Club, which hosts The Championships, is to maintain its leadership into the 21st century. To that end a long-term plan was unveiled in 1993, intended to improve the quality of the event for spectators, players, officials and neighbours.

Stage one of the plan was completed for the 1997 championships and involved building in Aorangi Park the new No. 1 Court, a broadcast centre, two extra grass courts and a tunnel under the hill linking Church Road and Somerset Road.

Stage two involved the removal of the old No. 1 Court complex to make way for the new Millennium Building, providing extensive facilities for the players, press, officials and members, and the extension of the West Stand of the Centre Court with 728 extra seats.

Stage three has been completed with the construction of an entrance building, housing club staff, museum, bank and ticket office.

A new retractable roof has been built in time for the 2009 championships, marking the first time in the tournament's history that rain will not stop play for a lengthly time on Centre Court. The All England Club tested the new roof at an event called A Centre Court Celebration on Sunday, 17 May 2009, which featured exhibition matches involving Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf, Kim Clijsters and Tim Henman. The first Championship match to take place under the roof was the completion of the fourth round women's singles match between Dinara Safina and Amelie Mauresmo. The first match to be played in its entirety under the new roof was between Andy Murray and Stanislas Wawrinka on 29 June 2009, which Murray won 2–6, 6–3, 6–3, 5–7, 6–3. The match recorded the latest ever finish at The Championships, concluding at 10.38pm. A new 4000-seat No. 2 Court has been built on the site of the old No. 13 Court and was ready for the 2009 Championships. A new 2000-seat No. 3 Court is being built on the site of the old Court No. 2.

Events

Main events

The five main events, and the number of players (or teams, in the case of doubles) include the following:

* Gentlemen's Singles (128 draw)

* Ladies' Singles (128 draw)

* Gentlemen's Doubles (64 draw)

* Ladies' Doubles (64 draw)

* Mixed Doubles (48 draw)

Junior events

Also known as Chimbledon (Children's Wimbledon), the four junior events and the number of players or teams include the following:

* Boys' Singles (64 draw)

* Girls' Singles (64 draw)

* Boys' Doubles (32 draw)

* Girls' Doubles (32 draw)

No mixed doubles event is held at this level.

Invitation events

The five invitational and the number of pairs include the following:

* Gentlemen's Invitation Doubles (8 pairs Round Robin)

* Senior Gentlemen's Invitation Doubles (8 pairs Round Robin)

* Ladies' Invitation Doubles (8 pairs Round Robin)

* Gentlemen's Wheelchair Doubles (4 pairs)

* Ladies' Wheelchair Doubles (4 pairs)

Match formats

Matches in the Gentlemen's Singles and Gentlemen's Doubles competitions are best-of-five sets. Matches in all other events are best-of-three sets. A tiebreak game is played if the score reaches 6–6 in any set except the fifth (in a five-set match) or the third (in a three-set match), in which case a two-game lead must be reached.

All events are single-elimination tournaments, except for the Gentlemen's, Senior Gentlemen's and the Ladies' Invitation Doubles, all of which are round-robin tournaments.

Until 1922, the winners of the previous year's competition (except in the Ladies Doubles and Mixed Doubles) were automatically granted byes into the final round (then known as the challenge round). This led to many winners retaining their titles for successive years, as they were able to rest while their opponent competed from the start of the competition. From 1922, the prior-year's champions were not granted byes but were required to play all the rounds, like other tournament competitors.

Schedule

Each year, the tournament begins on the Monday falling between 20 and 26 June. Wimbledon begins two weeks after the Queen's Club Championships, which is one of the men's major warm-up tournaments for Wimbledon. Another important men's warm-up tournament is the Gerry Weber Open, which is held in Halle, Germany during the same week as the Queen's Club Championships. Other important grass-court tournaments before Wimbledon are Eastbourne, England, and 's-Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands, both combining mixed events. The other women's warm-up tournament for Wimbledon is Birmingham, also in England. And to bring the grass court season to an end after the Championships each year there is a tournament held overseas at Newport, Rhode Island, US.

Wimbledon is scheduled for 13 days, beginning on a Monday and ending on a Sunday with the middle Sunday a designated rest day. The five main events span both weeks, but the youth and invitational events are held mainly during the second week. Traditionally, there is no play on the "Middle Sunday", which is considered a rest day. However, rain has forced play on the Middle Sunday three times in the Championship's history: in 1991, 1997, and 2004. On each of these occasions, Wimbledon has staged a "People's Sunday", with unreserved seating and readily available, inexpensive tickets, allowing those with more limited means to sit on the show courts. Additionally, if the tournament is not completed by the end of the second Sunday, all remaining matches are postponed until "People's Monday".

Players and seeding

A total of 128 players feature in each singles event, 64 pairs in each single-sex doubles event, and 48 pairs in Mixed Doubles. Players and doubles pairs are admitted to the main events on the basis of their international rankings, with consideration also given to their previous performances at grasscourt events. Currently (since 2001) 32 male and female players are given seedings in the Gentlemen's and Ladies' singles while 16 teams are seeded in the doubles events.

The Committee of Management and the Referee evaluate all applications for entry, and determine which players may be admitted to the tournament directly. The committee may admit a player without a high enough ranking as a wild card. Usually, wild cards are players who have performed well during previous tournaments, or would stimulate public interest in Wimbledon by participating. The only wild card to win the Gentlemen's Singles Championship was Goran Ivanišević in 2001. Players and pairs who neither have high enough rankings nor receive wild cards may participate in a qualifying tournament held one week before Wimbledon at the Bank of England Sports Ground in Roehampton. The singles qualifying competitions are three-round events; the same-sex doubles competitions last for only one round. There is no qualifying tournament for Mixed Doubles. No qualifier has won either the Gentlemen's Singles or the Ladies' Singles tournaments. The furthest that any qualifier has progressed in the main draw of a Singles tournament is the semi-final round: John McEnroe in 1977, Vladimir Voltchkov in 2000 (Gentlemen's Singles), and Alexandra Stevenson in 1999 (Ladies' Singles).

Players are admitted to the junior tournaments upon the recommendations of their national tennis associations, on their International Tennis Federation world rankings and, in the case of the singles events, on the basis of a qualifying competition. The Committee of Management determines which players may enter the four invitational events.

The Committee seeds the top players and pairs on the basis of their rankings. However, the Committee does also change the seedings due to a player's previous grass court performance. A majority of the entrants are unseeded. Only two unseeded players have ever won the Gentlemen's Singles Championship: Boris Becker in 1985 and Goran Ivanišević in 2001. (In 1985 there were only 16 seeds and Becker was ranked 20th at the time; Ivanišević, however, was ranked 125th when he won as a Wild Card entrant.) No unseeded player has captured the Ladies' Singles title; the lowest seeded female champion was Venus Williams, who won in 2007 as the twenty-third seed, beating her own record from 2005, when Williams won as the fourteenth seed. Unseeded pairs have won the doubles titles on numerous occasions; the 2005 Gentlemen's Doubles champions were not only unseeded, but also (for the first time ever) qualifiers.

Grounds

Main article: All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club

The order of play for all courts is displayed on boards around the grounds

The main show courts, Centre Court and No. 1 Court, are normally used only for two weeks a year, during the Championships, but play can extend into a third week in exceptional circumstances. The remaining seventeen courts are regularly used for other events hosted by the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. The show courts will, however, be pressed into action for the second time in three months in 2012 as Wimbledon will host the tennis events of the 2012 Olympic Games. One of the show courts is also used for home ties of the GB teams in the Davis Cup.

Court 18

Wimbledon is the only Grand Slam event played on grass courts. At one time, all the Grand Slam events, except the French Open, were played on grass. The US Open abandoned grass for a synthetic clay surface in 1975 and changed again to a hard surface (DecoTurf) with its 1978 move to the National Tennis Center. The Australian Open abandoned grass for Rebound Ace, a different type of hard surface, in 1988, and switched to yet another type of hard surface, Plexicushion, in 2008.

The principal court, Centre Court, was opened in 1922 when the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club moved from Worple Road to Church Road. This change of venue was due to the huge crowd pressure at Worple Road to see the French phenomenon Suzanne Lenglen, and for which that ground proved completely inadequate.

No.1 Court

The second most important court is No. 1 Court. The court was constructed in 1997 to replace the old No. 1 Court, which was adjacent to Centre Court. The old No. 1 Court was demolished because its capacity for spectators was too low. The court was said to have had a unique, more intimate atmosphere and was a favourite of many players. The new No. 1 Court has a capacity of approximately 11,000.

Court 2

From 2009, a new No. 2 Court is being used at Wimbledon with a capacity for 4,000 people. To obtain planning permission, the playing surface is around 3.5m below ground level, ensuring that the single-story structure is only about 3.5m above ground level, and thus not affecting local views. Plans to build on the current site of Court 13 were dismissed due to the high capacity of games that will be played at the 2012 Olympic Games.[clarification needed] The old No. 2 Court has been renamed as Court No. 3. The old No. 2 Court was known as the "Graveyard of Champions" because many highly seeded players were eliminated there during early rounds over the years, including Ilie Nastase, John McEnroe, Boris Becker, Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Martina Hingis, Venus Williams, and Serena Williams. The court has a capacity of about 3,000.

Terracotta Warriors

At the northern end of the grounds is a giant television screen on which important matches are broadcast. Fans watch from an area of grass officially known as the Aorangi Terrace. When British players do well at Wimbledon, the hill attracts fans for them, and is often re-named by the press for them: Greg Rusedski's followers convened at "Rusedski Ridge", and Tim Henman has had the hill nicknamed Henman Hill. As both of them have now retired and Andy Murray is the number 1 British player, the hill is now sometimes referred to as "Murray Mound" or "Murrayfield", as a reference to his Scottish heritage and the Scottish ground of the same name.

Traditions

Wimbledon ball girl at the net, 2007

Court 10 – on the outside courts there is no reserved seating

Evening on the first Friday of the 2004 championships

Ball boys and ball girls

In the championship games, ball boys and girls, known as BBGs, play a crucial role in the smooth running of the tournament, with a brief that a good BBG "should not be seen. They should blend into the background and get on with their jobs quietly."

From 1947 ball boys were supplied by Goldings , the only Barnardos school to provide them. Previous to this, from the 1920s onwards, the ball boys had been provided by The Shaftsbury Children's Home.

Since 1969, BBGs have been provided by local schools. As of 2008 they are drawn from schools in the London boroughs of Merton, Sutton, Kingston and Wandsworth, as well as from Surrey. Traditionally, Wandsworth Boys Grammar School in Sutherland Grove, Southfields and Mayfield Girls School on West Hill in Wandsworth, both now defunct, were the schools of choice for selection of BBGs. This was possibly owing to their proximity to the All England Club. BBGs have an average age of 15, being drawn from the school years nine and ten. BBGs will serve for one, or if re-selected, two tournaments.

As of 2005, BBGs work in crews of six, two at the net, four at the corners, and crews rotate one hour on court, one hour off, (two hours depending on the court) for the day's play. Crews are not told which court they will be working on the day, to ensure the same standards across all courts. With the expansion of the number of courts, and lengthening the tennis day, as of 2008, the number of BBGs required is around 250. BBG service is paid, with a total of £120-£160 being paid to each ball boy or girl after the 13-day period. Along with this it is seen[by whom?] as a privilege, and seen as a valuable addition to a school leaver's curriculum vitae, showing discipline. BBG places are split 50:50 between boys and girls, with girls having been used since 1977, appearing on centre court since 1985.

Colours and uniforms

Dark green and purple (sometimes also referred to as mauve) are the traditional Wimbledon colours. However, all tennis players participating in the tournament are required to wear all white or at least almost all white clothing, a long time tradition at Wimbledon. Wearing white clothing with some colour accents is also acceptable. Green clothing was worn by the chair umpire, linesmen, ball boys and ball girls until the 2005 Championships; however, beginning with the 2006 Championships, officials, ball boys and ball girls were outfitted in new navy blue and cream coloured uniforms from American designer Ralph Lauren. This marked the first time in the history of the Championships that an outside company was used to design Wimbledon clothing. Wimbledon's contract with Ralph Lauren is set to last until 2009.

Current champions

Roger Federer became the Men's champion on 5 July 2009, defeating Andy Roddick in an epic and historic final. This is Federer's sixth Wimbledon Men's Singles title, and his fifteenth slam for his career. This is Federer's second singles men's slam title of the year to go along with the French title

Serena Williams is the Ladies' champion, after beating her sister Venus in 2009 – turning the tables on her sister, who won in 2008. This is Serena's third Wimbledon Women's Singles title, and her eleventh slam for her career. This is Serena's second singles women's slam of the year to go along with the Australian crown.

Daniel Nestor part of the winning Men's Doubles team in 2009. This is his fifth men's doubles slam title, and his second Wimbledon Men's Doubles title of his career.

Nenad Zimonjić part of the winning Men's Doubles team in 2009. This is his second men's doubles slam title, and his second Wimbledon Men's Doubles title of his career.

Serena Williams part of the winning Women's Doubles team in 2009. This is her ninth women's doubles slam title, and her fourth Wimbledon Women's Doubles title of her career. This is the second of three women's doubles slam titles of the year to go along with the Australian previous and US post titles of the year.

Venus Williams part of the winning Women's Doubles team in 2009. This is her ninth women's doubles slam title, and her fourth Wimbledon Women's Doubles title of her career. This is the second of three women's doubles slam titles of the year to go along with the Australian previous and US post titles of the year.

Anna-Lena Grönefeld part of the winning Mixed Doubles team in 2009. This is her first mixed doubles slam title for her career.

Event Champion Runner-up Score

2009 Men's Singles Switzerland Roger Federer United States Andy Roddick 5–7, 7–6(6), 7–6(5), 3–6, 16–14

2009 Women's Singles United States Serena Williams United States Venus Williams 7–6(3), 6–2

2009 Men's Doubles Canada Daniel Nestor

Serbia Nenad Zimonjić United States Bob Bryan

United States Mike Bryan 7–6(7), 6–7(3), 7–6(3), 6–3

2009 Women's Doubles United States Serena Williams

United States Venus Williams Australia Samantha Stosur

Australia Rennae Stubbs 7–6(4), 6–4

2009 Mixed Doubles The Bahamas Mark Knowles

Germany Anna-Lena Grönefeld India Leander Paes

Zimbabwe Cara Black 7–5, 6–3

Records

Record Era Player(s) Count Winning years

Gentlemen since 1877

Winner of most Gentlemen's Singles titles Before 1968: United Kingdom William Renshaw 7 1881, 1882, 1883, 1884, 1885, 1886, 1889

After 1968: United States Pete Sampras 7 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000

Winner of most consecutive Gentlemen's Singles titles Before 1968: United Kingdom William Renshaw 6 1881, 1882, 1883, 1884, 1885, 1886

After 1968: Sweden Björn Borg

Switzerland Roger Federer 5 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980

2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007

Winner of most Gentlemen's Doubles titles Before 1968: United Kingdom Reggie Doherty & Laurie Doherty 8 1897, 1898, 1899, 1900, 1901, 1903, 1904, 1905

After 1968: Australia Todd Woodbridge 9 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2000 (with Mark Woodforde), 2002, 2003, 2004 (with Jonas Björkman)

Winner of most consecutive Gentlemen's Doubles titles Before 1968: United Kingdom Reggie Doherty & Laurie Doherty 5 1897, 1898, 1899, 1900, 1901

After 1968: Australia Todd Woodbridge & Mark Woodforde 5 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997

Winner of most Mixed Doubles titles – Gentlemen Before 1968: Australia Ken Fletcher

United States Vic Seixas

4 1963, 1965, 1966, 1968 (with Margaret Court)

1953, 1954, 1955, 1956 (3 with Doris Hart, 1 with Shirley Fry Irvin)

After 1968: Australia Owen Davidson 4 1967, 1971, 1973, 1974 (with Billie Jean King)

Winner of most Championships (total: singles, doubles, mixed) – Gentlemen Before 1968: United Kingdom William Renshaw 14 1880–1889 (7 singles, 7 doubles)

After 1968: Australia Todd Woodbridge 9 1993–2004 (9 doubles)

Ladies since 1884

Winner of most Ladies' Singles titles Before 1968: United States Helen Wills 8 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1932, 1933, 1935, 1938

After 1968: Czechoslovakia/United States Martina Navrátilová 9 1978, 1979, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990

Winner of most consecutive Ladies' Singles titles Before 1968: France Suzanne Lenglen 5 1919, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923

After 1968: Czechoslovakia/United States Martina Navrátilová 6 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987

Winner of most Ladies' Doubles titles Before 1968: United States Elizabeth Ryan 12 1914 (with Agatha Morton), 1919, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1925 (with Suzanne Lenglen), 1926 (with Mary Browne), 1927, 1930 (with Helen Wills), 1933, 1934 (with Simone Mathieu)

United States Billie Jean King 10 1961, 1962 (with Karen Hantze Susman), 1965 (with Maria Bueno), 1967, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1973 (with Rosie Casals), 1972 (with Betty Stove), 1979 (with Martina Navrátilová)

After 1968: Czechoslovakia/United States Martina Navrátilová 7 1976 (with Chris Evert), 1979 (with Billie Jean King), 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986 (with Pam Shriver)

Winner of most consecutive Ladies' Doubles titles Before 1968: France Suzanne Lenglen & United States Elizabeth Ryan 5 1919, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923

After 1968: Czechoslovakia/United States Martina Navrátilová & United States Pam Shriver

Belarus/Soviet Union Natasha Zvereva

4 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984

1991 (with Larisa Neiland), 1992, 1993, 1994 (Gigi Fernandez)

Winner of most Mixed Doubles titles – ladies Before 1968: United States Elizabeth Ryan 7 1919, 1921, 1923 (with Randolph Lycett), 1927 (with Frank Hunter), 1928 (with Patrick Spence), 1930 (with Jack Crawford), 1932 (with Enrique Maier)

After 1968: Czechoslovakia/United States Martina Navrátilová 4 1985 (with Paul McNamee), 1993 (with Mark Woodforde), 1995 (with Jonathan Stark), 2003 (with Leander Paes)

Winner of most Championships (total: singles, doubles, mixed) – ladies Before 1968: United States Billie Jean King 20 1961–1979 (6 singles, 10 doubles, 4 mixed)

United States Elizabeth Ryan 19 1914–1934 (12 doubles, 7 mixed)

After 1968: Czechoslovakia/United States Martina Navrátilová 20 1976–2003 (9 singles, 7 doubles, 4 mixed)

Miscellaneous

Most games won in a final United States Andy Roddick 39 2009

Most matches played (men) France Jean Borotra 223 1922–1939, 1948–1964

Most matches played (women) Czechoslovakia/United States Martina Navrátilová 326

Loser of most singles finals (men or women) United States Chris Evert

United Kingdom Blanche Bingley Hillyard 7

Lowest-ranked winner (men or women) Croatia Goran Ivanišević 125th 2001

Wildcard winner (men or women) Croatia Goran Ivanišević 2001

Lowest-ranked winner (women) United States Venus Williams 31st (23rd seed) 2007

Youngest winner (men) Germany Boris Becker 17 1985

Youngest winner (Ladies' Singles) United Kingdom Lottie Dod 15 1887

Youngest winner (Ladies' Doubles) Switzerland Martina Hingis 15 1996

Longest men's final (in terms of time) Switzerland Roger Federer vs

Spain Rafael Nadal 4hrs 48mins 2008

Longest men's final (in terms of games played) Switzerland Roger Federer vs

United States Andy Roddick 77 games 2009

Longest final (women) United States Lindsay Davenport vs

United States Venus Williams 2hrs 45mins 2005

Longest semifinal (women) United States Serena Williams vs

Russia Elena Dementieva 2hrs 49mins 2009

Wimbledon in popular culture

* Episode seven of the TV show Monty Python's Flying Circus features a tennis-playing blancmange that attempts to win Wimbledon by turning otherwise normal people into Scotsmen, as, according to the show, Scotland is the "worst tennis-playing nation on Earth"), but is eaten mid-match by a certain Mr and Mrs Brainsample.

* In Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (and Don't Come Back!!) (1980), Snoopy plays tennis at Wimbledon.

* Wimbledon is a 2004 film starring Paul Bettany and Kirsten Dunst as tennis champions.

* In the episode "Mind over Murder" of Family Guy, Peter Griffin talks about sneaking into the tournament.

* In the episode "Kamp Krusty" in The Simpsons, Krusty the Klown is at Wimbledon (and hurling abuse at Ivan Lendl) when he should be at the camp.

* Get Fuzzy: On 20 April 2007, as Satchel is reading a Wikipedia entry about Bucky's debut album, Bucky implores Satchel to "scroll down to the bit about where I won Wimbledon."

* In Anthony Horowitz's Alex Rider novel Skeleton Key, Alex goes under cover as a ball boy at Wimbledon for two chapters.

* In episode one of the first series of Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights the character Kenny played by Archie Kelly can be quoted saying 'I was on centre court, I wasn't even seeded!'

* An episode of children's TV cartoon series of Scooby Doo is set at Wimbledon, but bears little or no resemblance to the actual location or championships.

* In 2005, Snoop Dogg and Justin Timberlake collaborated on the music single 'Signs', which features the line "You'll see Venus and Serena, in the Wimbledon Arena". It is a reference to the Williams sisters, two of the most successful players in women's tennis.

Singles champions never World No. 1

* According to Wallis Myers of The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail and the computer rankings of the Women's Tennis Association, only seven women have won the Wimbledon singles title since 1921 but never reached the World No. 1 ranking. These are Kathleen McKane Godfree, Cilly Aussem, Karen Hantze Susman, Ann Haydon Jones, Virginia Wade, Conchita Martinez, and Jana Novotna.

* The men fared differently. Although the men ranked World No. 1 have been dominant in Wimbledon, the Open era features a mixed fortune of champions. Two champions reached a career high of World No. 2, Goran Ivanisevic and Michael Stich. Richard Krajicek and Pat Cash, who both reached a career high of World No. 4, have also won the singles championship. One singles champion, Jan Kodes, reached a career high of only World No. 5; he won in 1973 when many high-ranking players were absent.