100 YEARS OF CENTRE COURT
ON June 26, 1922, King George V declared the new Centre Court open. Typically, the ceremony had been delayed 45 minutes for rain but soon enough the covers were off and 100 years of history got up and running.
1936 For the third year in a row, a British player, Fred Perry, lifts the men’s singles trophy.
1940 Centre Court is hit by a 500lb German bomb. Repairs are not completed until 1949.
1953 With her 8-6 7-5 victory over fellow American Doris Hart, Maureen Connolly’s Wimbledon triumph was part of her becoming the first woman to win a Grand Slam.
1968 In the first Wimbledon of Open era, Rod Laver won the men’s singles and Billie Jean King the women’s singles for their third crowns.
1967 July 1 at 2pm, Peter West presents “Wimbledon Tennis Championships” on BBC 2, the first colour TV programme shown on the BBC.
1975 Arthur Ashe shocked Jimmy Connors in the men’s final to become the first, and so far only, black man to win a Wimbledon singles title.
1977 Virginia Wade receives ladies’ singles trophy from the Queen in the Silver Jubilee year.
1980 Bjorn Borg beats John McEnroe in five thrilling sets. The match is most famous for the fourth-set tie-break, which McEnroe won 18-16, saving seven match points.
1987 Pat Cash becomes the first champion to climb up to the players’ box. Fifteen more follow suit until the AELTC installs a gate in 2014.
1990 Martina Navratilova won a record nine singles titles in 13 years, the final one here at 33.
1993 After snatching defeat from the jaws of victory against Steffi Graf, Jana Novotna cries on Duchess of Kent’s shoulder.
1996 Cliff Richard entertained the crowd by singing in the rain during a three-and-a-half-hour break.
2000 Venus and Serena Williams become first two siblings to play singles on Centre Court, the former winning the semi-final.
2008 Rafa Nadal beats Roger Federer, hitting the last shot at 9.16pm after rain delays.
2009 Andy Murray raises the new roof against Stan Wawrinka in first match played entirely under cover.
2013 It’s happy tears for Murray as he’s the first British man to win Wimbledon for 77 years.