This trophy is almost half a metre tall and is inscribed with 'All England Lawn Tennis Club Single Handed Championship of the World'. The winner of the Gentlemen's Singles event wins a silver trophy which has been used since 1887. Delays in play caused by rain had become something of a Wimbledon tradition in past decades, but a retractable roof was installed in 2009 and that has helped to keep delays to a minimum. The centre court is the same one that has been used since 1922, although it has been improved considerably over the years. The club has dozens of courts, but the centre court is the most famous as it is the one used for Finals matches. Wimbledon is held at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London. The Ladies' Singles Final traditionally takes place on the penultimate day of the tournament, with the Gentlemen's Final taking place on the very last day. As with most tournaments of this size and format, there are three rounds for players to get through before they reach the round of 16, and from there the competition progresses to the quarter-finals, semi-finals and the final itself. The field for each of the Gentlemen's Singles and Ladies' Single events consists of 128 players. This latter point is a new development in the tournament which comes into force for the first time in 2019. If a set gets to six games all then a tie-break game is played to determine the set winner, except in the final set, where the score needs to reach twelve games all for a tie-break to be played. In the main events Men play five-set matches and women play three-set matches, with each set comprising six games. The Championships have a single elimination format, which means that players are out of the tournament as soon as they lose a match. Those who watch Wimbledon live on TV also get the opportunity to spot various celebrities, politicians and members of the royal family who often attend the games in person. Over the decades the competition has come to be associated with a variety of traditions, perhaps most famously the consumption of strawberries and cream. The current Wimbledon Championships focus primarily on the five events just mentioned, but also include four junior events and several invitational events. The competition was expanded in 1884 to include Gentlemen’s Doubles as well as Ladies' Singles events, but it wasn’t until 1913 that Ladies' Doubles and Mixed Doubles were also introduced.

Back then, the main action took place on a central lawn court, with others around it, and that is where the 'centre court' designation originated.

The Championships were founded in 1877, and comprised a Gentlemen’s Singles event in which 22 players competed, with Spencer Gore becoming the first ever Wimbledon Champion.

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