As the oldest tennis tournament in the world, Wimbledon has plenty of unique rules and practices.
If you’re new to The Championships, the Evening Standard has already published a cheat sheet to get the most out of it.
However, one element that may seem confusing is the numbers of the courts – and indeed how many courts there are in total.
The Wimbledon Grounds are owned by the All England Lawn Tennis Ground plc, covering more than 42 acres with the capacity for up to 42,000 spectators. But how many courts are there? And what does the number system mean?
How many courts are there at Wimbledon?
There are 18 Championships grass courts, along with 20 grass practice courts and eight American Clay courts.
Apart from the grass courts, the courts are used all year round by the Club members and LTA-sponsored players. The grass courts are in play from May to September (except Centre Court and other Show Courts which are used only for The Championships). The courts are lent to a number of clubs and organisations, mainly of a national character, for the staging of various events.
Plenty of maintenance goes into taking care of the grass courts, with nine tonnes of grass seed used each year by 15 permanent ground staff.
28 more ground staff are brought in during Wimbledon, when all courts are re-lined, rolled and mown daily during The Championships, as well as measuring the court wear, surface hardness and ball rebound.
A full renovation takes place every year in September, once The Championships are completed.
How does the Wimbledon court system work?
The Wimbledon courts are numbered, with the lowest numbers featuring the most important matches.
The Order of Play is decided according to “the interests of players, spectators, national and international TV, radio and online audiences, and the press”.
Generally, the most highly-anticipated matches with high-profile tennis players take place on lower-numbered courts or on Centre Court.
Centre Court and Court 1 both have retractable rooves that can protect matches from the elements as well.
