We examine the Wimbledon Trophy history alongside it’s name, cost and material details
Among Tennis Grand Slam tournaments, Wimbledon is the oldest event with plenty of history. Hence, there is a lot of history associated with the Wimbledon trophies that are presented to each category winner.
Wimbledon trophy name, cost, material, height, weight, history, winner prize money in 2023
What they play for…
The original and current men's singles trophy 🏆 #Wimbledon #heritageMW #MuseumWeek pic.twitter.com/kA9f2Y98AA
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) March 31, 2016
Know about the Wimbledon Men’s Singles Trophy
Notably, the first Wimbledon Men’s Singles Trophy, known as the Field Cup, was unveiled by the All England Club in 1877. Due to British tennis player William Renshaw winning the trophy for three consecutive editions, the All England Lawn Tennis Club members decided in 1987 that the cup could not be awarded annually.
At that time, it cost 100 guineas every time they bought the trophy. It is known that the trophy is built using silver gilt and stands 18-inch-tall with 7.5-inch-diameter. Additionally, the cup has “The All England Lawn Tennis Club Single Handed Championship of the World” written on it. In the trophy’s bowl name of each champion was engraved along with their championship winning date.
By the time we got to 2009, there wasn’t enough space to engrave the names of the champions and hence, one black plinth with decorated silver ring was used as a workaround. The names of all former Wimbledon champions are inscribed on a three-quarter-size duplicate of the cup that is given to each winner. This 13-inch tall trophy has two handles, each of which has two heads wearing winged helmets and flowers around the borders.
The pineapple that tops the trophy is, however, its most distinctive feature. One explanation for this comes from the practice of the time. To signal their arrival home, British sailors placed a pineapple on their front porches. Additionally, the pineapple represented hospitality, welcome, and appreciation. In a portrait depicting the privilege of the mighty, King Charles II of England also posed with this fruit.
What trophies are awarded to other category winners?
Elsewhere, the women’s singles trophy design is much different and this Venus Rosewater Dish is a silver salver with diameter of 18.75 inches. It is believed that the trophy’s ornamentation is mythologically inspired. Temperance is depicted as a woman seated on a chest holding a lamp in her right hand and a jug in her left as the plate’s focal subject. Additionally seen are the caduceus, sickle, and pitchfork.
Numerous mythological characters can be seen surrounding it, including the Goddess of Water, Venus, Jupiter, & Mercury. Minerva is depicted on the edge reigning over the liberal arts, which include grammar, rhetoric, dialectics, music, geometry, & algebra.
The Ladies’ Doubles Trophy is an elegant silver cup and cover known as The Duchess of Kent Challenge Cup, whereas the Gentlemen’s Doubles Trophy is a silver challenge cup for the Gentlemen’s Pairs competition. Meanwhile, the winners of the Mixed Doubles Trophy also get a silver challenge cup and cover.
This is the third version of the Wimbledon men’s singles trophy, with the first one costing £1 to acquire and the second one has been lost with no one aware of its whereabouts, while the third, which cost around £13,000, is the current trophy.
Prize Money Breakdown for Wimbledon 2023 ; Winner, £60,000, $75,991 ; Runner-up, £31,000, $39,308 ; 3rd Place, £21,000, $26,597 ; 4th Place, £14,500
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