Do You Know These Wimbledon Facts?
There are a load of balls. 53,000 balls are used during the Championships. They’re stored at 68°F and new balls are rolled out after the first seven games (to allow for warm up), then renewed every nine games. You can even buy used balls after – £2.50 for a can of three.
Centre court roof
Almost 15,000 people can watch the Centre Court action.
- To keep Centre Court at its best when the roof’s on, eight litres of fresh air per person per second is pumped into the bowl to manage the environment. The roof’s fabric is 100% recyclable and it takes a maximum of 10 minutes to close.
Strawberries and cream
These are Grade I Kent berries of the highest quality, and there are no less than 10 in each portion.
- They’re picked the day before sale and arrive at the grounds around 5.30am, where they are inspected and hulled – ensuring only the most perfect make it into mouths.
Rain
Rain stops play.
Serves
The fastest serve of all time was served by Taylor Dent at 148mph in 2010
- Venus Williams served a serve in 2008 at a wind-whistling 129mph
- Goran Ivanišević served 213 aces at Wimbledon 2001
Prizes
The 2018 Mens and Ladies Singles winners enjoyed a hefty fee of £2.25m each
Staff
The Championships employ around 6,000 staff including 1,800 catering staff, 305 cleaners, 700 security guards, seven ball distributors and 250 ball boys and girls.
- Over 750 apply for the role of ball boy/girl, and the chosen ones complete a rigorous training programme.
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