Game, Set, Match! Wimbledon Through The Years

Posted: 20/06/11

Katie Jones

wimbledon-tennis The Queen Mother with American Wimbledon Champion, Helen Wills Moody at Wimbledon in 1938. Photo: Getty Images

Rackets (and Pimm's) at the ready, Wimbledon kicks off today at SW19's famous All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. To celebrate the start of the famous tennis tournament, we've been looking back at some the memorable moments from sport's most stylish event (it's safe to say that the on court style has come a long way since it first started). Take a look below to see some of the highlights of Wimbledon over the years.

Wimbledon through the years

1904
 Tennis dress code has come a long way since 1904... British champion Mrs Lambert Chambers, winner of seven Wimbledon women's singles titles, playing at Wimbledon.
1923
 French tennis player Suzanne Lenglen in action. After this rather drastic leap across the court, she went go on to win the final.
1932
 A crowd of umbrellas; an all too familiar sight at Wimbledon.
1934
 A group of tennis players studying the draw for the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships. Note the perfectly styled hair and clutch bags.
1935
 English tennis champion Fred Perry leapt over the net in 1935 to shake hands with his opponent after winning the Wimbledon men's singles final.
1936
 British tennis player Kay Stammers signed autographs for some neatly dressed tennis fans.
1954
 Plastic macs might not be stylish, but these two spectators proved that they can be useful during heavy rain at Wimbledon.
1954
 And when the sun does come out, look no further than a folded up newspaper. Spectators fashioned their own hats during a spell of warmer weather at Wimbledon in 1954.
1969
 England's Ann Jones stands with her American opponent Billie-Jean King before the start of the Ladies Singles final match.
1973
 By the 1970s, the all white dresses had become a lot shorter, as seen on Billie Jean King of the USA, Australia's Evonne Goolagong (later Cawley), and Britain's Virginia Wade at Wimbledon in 1973.
1974
 Swedish tennis player Bjorn Borg attracted fans in a shiny tracksuit during a pre-Wimbledon reception at the Hurlingham Club, 1974.
1976
 Spectators at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships peer in through a gap in the fence hoping for a glimpse of the action on Court 14, where Ilie Nastase of Romania was playing.
1977
 Virginia Wade with the winner's trophy presented to her by the Queen, after winning the Wimbledon women's singles championship for the first time at the 16th attempt. She beat Betty Stove of the Netherlands 4-6 6-3 6-1.
1982
 Chris Evert during a match at the 1982 championships.
1987
 A ballboy keeps his eyes on the ball during the Championships in 1987 at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.
1991
 The Princess of Wales and Prince William stand and applaud in the Royal Box on Centre Court at Wimbledon, when Steffi Graf won the Women's Singles Championship.
1999
 Guess who? Tim Henman during a quick break at Wimbledon in 1999.
2003
 The Williams sisters hold their trophies after playing each other in the 2003 ladies' singles final.
2004
 Wimbledon wouldn't be Wimbledon without strawberries and cream.
2008
 Roger Federer lifts the trophy (and brings back the blazer to tennis) after his victory against Rafael Nadal during day thirteen of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships. Roger Federer claimed his fifth consecutive championship title in 2008.