Founded in 1877, Wimbledon is the oldest tournament among the four majors. It’s the only Grand Slam event that is still played on grass, the traditional surface. From the players’ all-white kits to strawberries and cream served in the stands, its traditions have helped to separate it from every other tennis event. Serena Williams once claimed that it’s always a “very special feeling” to take part in this iconic event. Even for Lleton Hewitt, it’s a “pretty special place.” But for the three-time champion, Boris Becker, it’s something more. “Wimbledon has been my favorite tournament as a player, coach, and commentator. It’s unique, you can’t compare it. It’s a part of my life. It’s in my DNA, you can’t deny that.” What makes Wimbledon so special, and why is it different from other majors, though?

Wimbledon is the only major tournament that has retained a night-time curfew, though matches can now continue until 23:00 under the lights. This thing has been in the limelight recently, after witnessing a few stoppages on Day 1’s play. But that’s not the only thing that makes this tournament different from others. Then? Despite its strong traditions where everything in this historic tennis tournament has the word ‘ritual’ attached to it as if there is a specific way of doing things, it has never shied itself from embracing innovations and taking measures while showcasing preparedness for unavoidable circumstances. How?

For example, in 2020, we saw the Wimbledon Championships getting cancelled due to COVID-19. It was the first cancellation of the tournament since World War II. However, despite this cancellation, The All England Lawn Tennis Association managed to recoup almost half of these losses due to its $2 million pandemic insurance that it has taken out every year since 2003. During the pandemic, the NBA, NFL, and MLB leagues in America reportedly lost around $13 billion, but this one small precautionary measure did wonders for this iconic tennis tournament in tough times. It was only one of the four major tournaments to ensure pandemic insurance.

Although the payout didn’t cover all of its losses, it did put them in a stronger position than most other elite sporting events. During that time, Action Network sports business reporter Darren Rovell revealed that the organizers are set to receive $141 million payout, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic insurance policy, which has paid a total of $34 million over the last 17 years. Although AELTC didn’t confirm the figures at that time, they told Rovell that the club has “always sought to buy the optimum insurance coverage available.”

Just before the cancellation of the tournament, German Tennis Federation Vice President Dick Horsdorff gave an interview with Sky Sports in Germany. During that interview, he claimed, “Wimbledon was probably – as the only Grand Slam tournament many years ago predictive enough to insure itself against a worldwide pandemic, so that the financial damage should be minimized there.“

As per various reports, Wimbledon was expected to generate around $310 million in revenue from ticket sales, sponsorships, broadcasting rights, and many more in that year. Although they couldn’t generate the revenue they would’ve wanted, the organizers did manage to reduce their losses by this small step.

Talking about taking new steps and introducing new things with the tournament, this year Wimbledon had replaced human line judges with AI-powered ball tracking technology. Embracing tradition with innovation? Throughout its rich 148-year-old history, they have been committed to preserving the traditions that have become an integral part of this tournament, but from this year, we won’t see its sharply-dressed line judges. A chase for perfection? Perhaps! 

This step will definitely improve the accuracy of the calls and make the game faster and more seamless. Interestingly, the players can now even request a replay of the call on the screen. What does the tennis world have to say about Wimbledon‘s unique ability to mix tradition with innovations?

American legend shares his honest take on what separates Wimbledon from other majors

Andy Roddick reached the finals of the Wimbledon Championships thrice (2004, 2005, 2009), but unfortunately for the American, on each of those occasions, Roger Federer stood tall blocking his title dreams. However, having said that, these memories from this event didn’t dampen his admiration for their rich history and tradition.

In a conversation about Wimbledon on his podcast, ‘Served’, Roddick said, “They’ve (Wimbledon) fully secured this tradition and all the special things about tradition, but also they’re not stuck in the mud. The new buildings are pretty contemporary looking, but they’re green and they’ve Ivy and it’s like this mix of new and building this prestigious Championships for the next hundred years, not for the past 100 but also marrying the history with the path forward.“

He further added, “They rarely make bad decisions. You go and cut off shorts and T-shirts and rip 17 beers. There’s a place for you at Wimbledon. Don’t ever think there’s not…You go to Center Court, and everything about Center Court is this protected experience where you feel like you’re walking backwards in time…in all the best ways, and silence is deafening. Their ultimate sign of respect where you’ve gotten the attention is that hushed silence as something it’s so cool. It’s the best. I love it. I can’t talk about it in a rational way.“

But what about the favorites for the 2025 Wimbledon? Andy Roddick has his money on Aryna Sabalenka who he thinks is the clear-cut favorite, and on the men’s side, he picked the defending champion, Carlos Alcaraz. As for other hopefuls, Roddick thinks Madison Keys has the better chance from the American side. With Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula’s exit, do you think Keys can deliver at Wimbledon? Stay on top of every twist and turn in the Championships with our Live Blog.