With the start of Wimbledon as well as the Nature Valley International Tennis Tournament fast approaching, The Grand Hotel, Eastbourne will once again be offering a very special Tennis Afternoon Tea to guests, along with some aptly themed cocktails.
In honour of this, we have collated the top 10 interesting Wimbledon facts, which are perfect to recite to your nearest and dearest over your tennis afternoon tea!
Top 10 Wimbledon Facts
- Wimbledon is the oldest tennis tournament in the world! The first match was played on 9th July 1877.
- Over 28,000kg of Strawberries and 10,000 litres of cream are consumed at Wimbledon during the tournaments.
- Rodger Federer is the world record holder for Most Wimbledon titles won. He has 8 championship titles under his belt, his last win being in 2017.
- There are 674 matches played across the Wimbledon tournament.
- In 1986 the colour of the tennis balls changed from white to yellow in order to capture them better for the T.V.
- Wimbledon has its own Hawk, named Rufus, who looks after the tennis courts and is used to chase away the pigeons before the games. Rufus even has his own Twitter feed with over 10,000 followers!
- The longest recorded tennis match was a staggering 11 hours and 5 minutes long, in 2010 in a game between John Isner and Nicholas Mahut.
- Suppliers use over 40 miles of string when creating the Tennis rackets used by the players.
- The fastest recorded serve at Wimbledon is 148 mph!
- Athletes have a strict dress code (usually plain white) which must be pre-approved before they step onto the court at Wimbledon.
Enjoy The Grand's specially concocted tennis cocktails, perhaps a 'Grand Slam' with a hint of Melon liqueur tickles your fancy or for a twist of the traditional enjoy 'English Picnic' which has tastes of Rhubarb, Strawberries and Cream!
Tennis Afternoon Tea will be available on Friday 22nd June – Sunday 15th July and will be served in the Great Hall & Lounges between 2.45pm – 6.00pm.
For more information click here or contact the Grand Reservations team on 01323 412345.