1. The trophy for the men’s singles is a gold cup that stands 18-and-a-half inches high, and has a diameter of 7-and-a-half inches. Strangely enough, no one quite seems to know what the carving of a pineapple is doing atop this magnificent cup. One theory says it has to do with the tradition of British navy captains putting a pineapple atop their gateposts on returning home from sea.
2. For some unexplained reason, strawberries and cream are synonymous with the championship.
A staggering 28,000 kg of the fruit are consumed during the Wimbledon fortnight, served along with 7,000 litres of fresh cream. The berries are always freshly picked in Kent and arrive at the venue early in the morning.
3. In 1975, for the first time chairs were provided for players to rest when changing ends.
(This story appears in the 28 June, 2013 issue of Forbes India. To visit our Archives, click here.)
Here are some more lesser known facts! http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/you/article-1025237/Things-dont-know--The-Wimbledon-Championships.html
on Jul 3, 2013I believe the 'strawberry cream' stuff is overrated. I bet if Indian-style fast-food vending were allowed at Wimbledon -€” say pani puri, chat, egg roll and what not (I am not really an expert on the street foods of India) -€” the Britishers would ditch the strawberry cream before you could say 'fish and chips.' And I am sure the 'catering' for Wimbledon is nothing to write home about for Indians. I believe Indian temples are heavily into catering as they have to cater to thousands of pilgrims pouring in everyday. I am not a 'lover' of God ... to put it mildly but remember learning from my younger days that the Jagannath Temple in Puri holds some sort of a 'world record' in the catering department.
on Jun 28, 2013