Wimbledon is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and is generally considered the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in the London suburb of Wimbledon since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, and the only one still played on the game's original surface, grass.
The tournament takes place over two weeks in late June and early July, culminating with the ladies' and gentlemen's singles final, scheduled respectively for the second Saturday and Sunday. Each year, five major events are contested, as well as four junior events and four invitational events.
In 2009 a total of £12,500,000 in prize money was awarded, of which £850,000 went to each of the singles champions, Roger Federer and Serena Williams.
This year Roger Federer is bidding to equal Pete Sampras' record of seven Wimbledon Men’s Singles titles. Federer's only defeat at the All England Club in the since 2003 came at the hands of Rafael Nadal in 2008. The World Number One is currently a best price of 6-4 (with William Hill) for this year's championships having defeated British hope Andy Murray in the final of the Australian Open.
The ladies event has been dominated by the Williams sisters since the turn of the century. Serena or Venus have lifted the title on eight occasions since 2000, with Venus lifting it five times and Serena three. However, both are still well short of Martina Navratilova's record of nine Wimbledon Championships.