Visiting Wimbledon in February and it’s clear there’s an atmosphere of preparation. Preparation for this years’ event is well underway – and amongst the sounds of the tournament blaring over the grounds’ speakers, there’s a quiet sense of working towards a common goal – that common goal being Tennis itself.
The Wimbledon Championships may only be a fortnight, but the place itself is an institution. There’s so much that goes on, far beyond those baseline battles. As the world’s largest tennis library, with over 15,000 items from across the globe, the Wimbledon Library sits right at the heart of the sport’s history and it was a great privilege to visit recently.
As tennis legend Billie Jean King is known for saying – to learn more about yourself and to shape the future, you need to know about the past. That’s exactly what I hope to do here on ‘The Love of Tennis’.
Wimbledon collates just about every book, periodical and newspaper cutting you could dream of, a passage through the championships, but also tournaments of every size internationally. Newspaper cuttings from, well, since newspapers’ beginning, Australian and Japanese tennis magazines, the list goes on.
Even with the best Googling, there’s no way you’d come close to what the Wimbledon Library has to offer. Without resources like the library, where do you know where to go for information and to immerse yourself in tennis, if you don’t actually know what’s out there?
“The more you know about history, the more you know about yourself—and, most important, you know what can shape the future”
Billie Jean King
During the standard tennis calendar, It’s easy to become so totally immersed in the Grand Slams, the top 10 players in the world and then suddenly the smaller tournaments get lost in the noise.
When you see the books and articles in front of you, the transformation of the sport alongside our wider culture suddenly becomes clear.
It becomes apparent how women have earned their role on the world’s biggest stage, how the media has evolved, attendance continues to grow and so much more. One thing’s for sure our obsession with the weather hasn’t!
At the library, I particularly enjoyed the glimpse into players who were at the top of the game long before I was born. Take Ken Rosewall – 2 time Wimbledon Champion, dubbed in the news an ‘elderly gentleman’ at 39; a notion that would seem outlandish today when icons like Andy Murray are still considered fairly young, just shy of that age.
A look back into tennis history makes you reflect on the age-old debate of which tennis era reigns supreme, or who truly deserves the title of the greatest. Yet, in my view, the distinction often belongs to the era just before our own. They were the ones who couldn’t learn the lessons of today. It’s those players who were often forging a path alone, with no real example for comparison.
Today, as tennis veers towards a future of paid TV subscriptions, we risk losing the connection to this rich past. It’s a concern, especially for younger fans who might not realise the full breadth of what tennis has to offer. After all, sport, in its purest form, teaches us about life, about overcoming challenges and everything in between.
It is through a deep appreciation of its history that we can ensure a more inclusive and vibrant future for tennis. If this greater appreciation inspires just one person to pick up a racquet, then it’s undoubtedly a step in the right direction.
Over time, I hope to bring you the stories of the people who have shaped the sport of today – unsung heroes if you will. The Love of Tennis is designed to become a celebration of everyone, on and off the court that has shaped tennis and will continue to over the months and years ahead.
