The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, which is responsible for staging the world's leading tennis tournament, is a private Club founded in 1868, originally as 'The All England Croquet Club'. In 1875 lawn tennis was introduced by Major Walter Clopton Wingfield. The Club was re-titled 'The All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club' in 1877 and a new code of law was drawn up. These have stood the test of time and 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. By 1882 activity at the Club was almost exclusively confined to lawn tennis and the club name has been changed to 'The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club' since 1889.
Originally the Gentlemen's Singles was the only event held. About 200 spectators paid one shilling each to watch the final. In 1884 the Ladies' Singles was inaugurated and, from an entry of 13 players, Maud Watson became the first champion. That same year, the Gentlemen's Doubles was started.
The lawns at the Ground were arranged in such a way that the principal court was situated 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. The opening of the new No. 1 Court in 1997 emphasised the description.
The years from 1934 to 1937 were a golden era for British tennis, when a total of 11 titles were captured, including three singles in succession by Fred Perry and two by Dorothy Round. In recent years long-standing records have been broken. In 1980 Bjorn Borg of Sweden became the first player to win the Gentlemen's Singles five times in the post-challenge round era; a feat replicated by Roger Federer between 2003 and 2007. In 1985 Boris Becker, aged 17, became the youngest player, the first unseeded player and the first German to win the Gentlemen's Singles. In 1987 Martina Navratilova of the United States became the first player to win the Ladies' Singles six times in succession and in 1990 she attained the all-time record of nine victories in the event. Pete Sampras of the United States registered his seventh win in 2000 and in 2001, Goran Ivanisevic became the first wildcard to win the Gentlemen's Singles.
Today Wimbledon remains the favourite tennis tournament that attracts a following of millions around the world. Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum highlights the Championship Trophies, a 200° cinema screen and a 'walk-through' of the men's dressing room as it was in the 1980s, with John McEnroe. The museum is open throughout the year, daily: 10.00am - 5pm. Last admission is 4.30pm.