Glorious Brits!
Since its inception as an amateur event in 1877, Wimbledon has grown into quite possibly Britain’s number one annual sporting event — but Brits have not often cheered their own at the end of the two-week competition.
It looked all good in the early 1900’s when Arthur Gore won back-to-back titles in 1908-1909, but then sadly, British tennis suffered one of its all too familiar declines.
It would be another 25 years before the crowds at SW19 would be able to cheer a home triumph as gentleman and scholar Fred Perry won the first of his troika of titles in 1934 — breaking up American, Australian, French… well anyone not British’s dominance.
More triumphs would follow in 1935-1936 then yet another drought. With women being allowed to enter the competition in 1884 it was about time one of our ladies pulled their finger out and the first Britain to win the woman’s single title was Angela Mortimer in 1961.
Mortimer’s win was followed in the same decade by Ann Haydon Jones (1969) but it was the 1970s when British women stamped their mark on world tennis, particularly at Wimbledon. The lovely Sue Carpenter reached the semi-finals of the most famous lawn tournament in the world in 1977 but another Brit, Virginia Wade, went a step further to hold aloft the great big shiny dish.
Sadly though, we are still waiting for another player from these Isles to stand in front of Princess Michael of Kent and pretend to be interested in what she’s saying instead doing a lap of honour around centre court naked with only the famous old trophy to hide their modesty.
Well as usual we’re hopeful again this year. The women’s situation is nothing short of laughable and adopted Brit Greg Rusedski struggling to discover his best form since beating his drugs charge. So once again British hopes lye on the shoulders of ‘Tiger’ Tim Henman.
Four-times a semi-finalist, Henman has suffered a mixed build-up to this tournament after exceeding expectations by reaching the last four at the French Open on clay (his weakest surface), before suffering a shock early exit at Wimbledon’s warm-up tournament at Queen’s on what is supposed to be his strongest surface.
However, with record crowds expected and Henman Hill set to be full to the rafters with fans, flags and signs, Britain will be hoping that 2004 is the year of the tiger.
