TENNIS
See
Also: SPORTS
Lawn Tennis
Lawn tennis was a product of technology: the
lawn mower and vulcanised rubber.
Major Winfield informed the 5th
Marquis of Lansdowne of sphairistike.
His lordship told A.J. Balfour.
It was Balfour who devised the name lawn tennis. Subsequently, he served as prime minister.
Location: Lansdowne House, 9 Fitzmaurice Place,
W1J 5JD.
Lansdowne's townhouse.
4
Carlton Gardens, SW1Y 5AD.
Balfour's townhouse.
Lawn Tennis Association
Location: 100 Priory Lane,
Roehampton, SW15 5JQ
Website: www.lta.org.uk
The National Tennis Centre
Location: 100 Priory Lane,
Roehampton, SW15 5JQ
Website: www.lta.org.uk/about-us/national-tennis-centre
And A Half
Gerry Ells (1920-2019) was a retired
costume jeweller who became an immensely successful player upon the seniors
circuit. During the 1990s and 2000s he
competed in over a hundred veterans tournaments. In 2007, as part of the Centre's opening
celebrations ceremony, he was presented to the Queen with the statement that he
was the current over-85 singles and doubles world champion. The monarch commented Eighty-five, that is
wonderful. The sportsman responded by
declaring, Thank you, Ma am, 86 actually.
She started to move on on to be introduced to the next person in the
line, when he chipped in with And a half!
Fred Perry
Fred Perry's (1909-1995) father was active
in the Cooperative Party and became a Labour M.P.. Perry became the world table tennis champion
by the time he was nineteen. He then switched
to playing tennis.
In 1934 Perry won his first men's singles
title. The following year he won all
four major championships.
Perry left the amateur game and joined the
American professional circuit. He
flirted with Hollywood and became an American citizen.
Perry established a clothing business.
Location: 223 Pitshanger Lane,
Brentham Garden Estate, W5 1RG
Website: www.fredperry.com
The Queen's Club
The Queen's Club
Location: Palliser Road, W14 9EQ
Website: www.queensclub.co.uk
Wigmore Sports
Wigmore Sports is a shop that specialises in
tennis racquets and tennis-related items, such as clothing and footwear. It has a racquet string service.
Location: 39 Wigmore
Street, W1U 1PD (purple, white)
See Also: SPORTS
Lillywhites; MENU
Website: https://wigmoresports.co.uk
Wimbledon
In 2007 Jamie Murray and Jelena Jankovic won
the Mixed Doubles title at Wimbledon. He
was the first Briton to win a senior Wimbledon title since 1987.
In 2008 Henman Hill was renamed Murray
Mound.
Location: All England Lawn Tennis
& Croquet, Church Road, SW19 5AE
Website: www.wimbledon.com
Whites
Wimbledon has a rule that competing players
should wear white sports clothes when playing.
This reputed to derive from a wish to minimise the visibility of sweat.
David Backhouse 2024