- Origins trace back to French game called "Paume" ("Palm"), where players hit a small ball over a net by hand.
- The game soon became very popular, predominantly in France where it was adopted by the royal family.
- Across the Channel, tennis was banned in England in 1388, because people were failing to practise archery.
- The racket was actually invented in Italy in 1583.
- Paume evolved into "Jeu de Paume" ("Game of Palm") and a racket was used instead of a hand.
- Major Walter Wingfield invented the game called "Sphairistikè" (Greek for "playing ball").Played on hour-glass shaped courts on Manor House lawns by wealthy English people. This is truly where modern tennis evolved.
- The game soon became known as "tennis", thought to come from the French word "tenir" ("hold this"), "tendere" ("to hold"), or "tenez" ("to take"). The precise origins are unknown.
- Wimbledon: Henry Cavendish Jones convinced the All England Croquet Club to replace a croquet court with a lawn tennis court. Marylebone Cricket Club followed suit.
- Marylebone Cricket Club made significant changes to the game. They added Deuce, Advantage, and 2 chances per serve. The hourglass-shaped court also changed to a rectangular court, identical to the measurements we use today.
- The very first World Tennis Championship was held in 1877 at Worple Road in Wimbledon.
- The sponsors were the All England Croquet Club.
- Only 22 players entered the Mens Singles, which was the only event. Spectators paid a mere one shilling to watch the final.
- The first winner of the title was Mr Spencer Gore, aged 37, an Englishman educated at Harrow School. Gore won the match in only fifty minutes and reportedly said afterwards “Lawn Tennis is a bit boring. It will never catch on.”
- The Overhead Smash was introduced into the game by the Renshaw brothers.
- They would dominate Wimbledon for a decade, winning all but 1880 and 1887 championships between them.
- The Wimbledon Championships are open to women for the first time. There are only 13 participants. Mens doubles was also introduced for the first time.
- Lottie Dod of England wins the Wimbledon Ladies Singles title for the first of 5 times between 1887 and 1893.
- She is the youngest player to win a singles event at the age of only 15 years and 285 days.
- The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) is founded in order to maintain the new rules and standards of tennis.
- Wimbledon: The All England Croquet Club changed it's name to the All England Tennis & Croquet Club.
- May Sutton won the Ladies Singles at Wimbledon, and was the first international tennis player to win at Wimbledon.
- The Doherty brothers (Laurie and Reggie) won the Wimbledon Mens Doubles title for a record eigth time. Ironically, they were both born in Wimbledon.
- Norman Brookes of Australia became the first international Wimbledon Mens Singles champion.
- Mrs Charlotte Sterry of Great Britain became the oldest Wimbledon Ladies Singles champion at the age of 37 years and 282 days.
- Arthur Gore of Great Britain became the oldest Wimbledon Mens Singles champion at the age of 41 years and 182 days.
- The International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF) is born with an aim of operating the 4 major tennis Championships (Wimbledon, U.S., Australasian, and French).
- Suzanne Lenglen of France became the first player to win the triple crown of Ladies Singles, Ladies Doubles, and Mixed Doubles.
- Building works for a new Wimbledon Championships tournament to be located on Church Street had started. The total cost of this development would cost £140,000.
- The new Wimbledon Championships located on Church Street was open for business. Prince Albert and the Prince of Wales were at the grand opening. The new arena had a capacity 14,000.
- The idea of seeding players was introduced for the first time.
- One-piece Ash wood tennis rackets are replaced by laminated wood.
- Fred Perry and Miss Dorothy Round won both the Wimbledon Mens and Ladies Singles titles. It has so far proven to be the last British double
- Fred Perry of Great Britain became Wimbledon Mens Singles champion for the third successive year. This is the last time a British player has won the Wimbledon Mens Singles title.
- From 1940 to 1945 World War II put a hold on the Wimbledon and French Championships.
- In October 1940 that a Centre Court was hit by a bomb. Fortunately no one was injured, but 1200 seats were lost.
- Fashion designer Ted Tinling created a dress for the American Gertrude "Gussy" Moran that would shock Wimbledon.
- Her lace-trimmed knickers were front-page news worldwide, and were even the subject of debate in Parliament.
- The Australian Rod Laver wins the Wimbledon Mens Singles title on his way to securing his first of two Grand Slam titles.
- The first metal tennis racket appears thanks to Wilson.
- Wimbledon was shown on colour television for the first time thanks to the BBC.
- The Tie-break was introduced at Wimbledon, and came into effect if the score in games reached 8-8 in any set except the final set.
- Wimbledon is boycotted by the ATP following the suspension of Yugoslav Nikki Pilic.
- The first time players were allowed chairs on court to allow them to rest during a change of ends.
- The first graphite and fiberglass tennis rackets appear on the scene thanks to Howard Head of Prince.
- The Swedish player Björn Borg won his 1st singles title.
- Virginia Wade was the last British tennis player to win Wimbledon when she won the Ladies Singles title.
- The Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum opened.
- Billie Jean King won the Wimbledon Ladies Doubles title, which totalled a record 20 titles in all (6 Ladies Singles, 10 Ladies Doubles, and 4 Mixed Doubles).
- The Tie-break rule was to come into play at a score in games of 6-6 (instead of 8-8), with the exception of final sets.
- The mighty Swede Björn Borg secures his 5th consecutive Wimbledon Mens Singles title.
- Tennis was played at Wimbledon on Sunday for the first time.
- Boris Becker of Germany was the youngest ever and first unseeded Wimbledon Mens Singles champion at the age of only 17 years and 227 days.
- Martina Navratilova became the Wimbledon Ladies Singles champion for a record ninth time.
1994
- Tim Henman was disqualified during a Wimbledon Mens Doubles match after hitting a ball in anger and striking a ball girl.
- Martina Hingis of Switzerland was the youngest ever Wimbledon champion when she won the Ladies Doubles in 1996 at the age of only 15 years and 282 days.
- Goran Ivanisevic of Croatia became the first Wimbledon Wildcard in history to win the Mens Singles title.
- General: Roger Federer's 25-match winning streak (the longest in men's tennis since 1984) ended at the hands of 18-year-old Richard Gasquet in Monte Carlo.
- There were no English men in the Wimbledon singles draw for the first time in its history. Representing Great Britain were only 2 Scots Andy Murray and Jamie Baker (wildcard).
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