Trophy Store Blog

The most prestigious and oldest tennis tournament to take place each year is Wimbledon.  This tournament has been held every year since 1877 at the All England Club in the London Suburb of Wimbledon and is included as one of the world’s 4 Grand Slam tennis tournaments today.  But the major difference between this tennis tournament is that all matches are played on grass (lawn) rather than clay courts.

Each year the tournament takes place for 2 weeks and normally begins during the latter part (last week) of June or early part (first week) of July.  During this time a wide variety of singles and double matches take place on the various courts including the main one known as Number 1 Court.  As long as the weather remains good then the final of the women’s singles competition will take place on the 2nd Saturday of the tournament followed by the men’s singles competition final taking place the following Sunday.

Anyone who is lucky enough to reach the final of either the men’s, women’s, juniors or doubles tournaments they are presented with a trophy.  But the only ones who will be presented with their trophies on Number 1 Court are the winners and runners up of the men’s and women’s singles tournament.

For the men who become the Singles Champion they are presented with the Gentlemen’s Singles Trophy a silver gilt cup with cover.  This is the exact same trophy presented to the first ever winner of this particular tennis tournament back in 1887.  On this trophy is inscribed “The All England Lawn Tennis Club Single Handed Champion of the World”.

As for the trophy itself it stands a total of 18.5 inches in height and measures 7.5 inches in diameter.  The design is very classical and the cup has handles placed on either side and comes with a raised foot.  As for the lit on top is a pineapple.  Then below the handles you will see a head wearing a winged helmet.  Even though each winner of this tournament is presented with the original trophy each year they are not allowed to keep.  Instead the winner of the men’s singles championship is presented with a miniature replica of the trophy measuring 8.5 inches in height and which they are able to keep.

For the woman who wins the women’s singles championship she is presented with a silver salver referred to as the “Rosewater Dish” or “Venus Rosewater Dish”.  The trophy was made back in 1864 by Messrs Elkington And Company Limited based in Birmingham and cost 50 Guineas (£52.50) to be made.  The design is actually a copy of an Electrotype made from Pewter by Caspar Enderlein and the original is housed in the Louvre, Paris.  This particular trophy was first presented in 1886 to the woman who the challenge round which commenced in the same year. 

This salver is made from sterling silver although it has some gilding on it as well and measures 18.75 inches in diameter.  The central boss contains the figure of the Goddess Temperance sat on a chest and holding in her right hand a lamp and her left hand a jug.

Then around this are 4 reserves that contain images of 4 classical gods as well as the elements.  Then there are further reserves around the rim with images of the Goddess Minerva as she presides over the 7 liberal arts, namely music, geometry, dialectic, grammar, astrology, arithmetic and rhetoric and their attributes.  Whilst the rim of this Wimbledon tennis trophy comes with Olvo moulding.  As for the rest of the surface this is covered with gilt renaissance strapwork and foliate motifs which are in relief and have been placed against as rigid silver back.