Wimbledon: The Official History of the Championships [Hardcover]

John Barrett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2001

The Wimbledon Championships began life in 1877 as little more than a Victorian summer pastime. Nowadays, for two weeks in June, the whole of the tennis world converges on SW19 for one of the defining moments of the British summer. In this book, endorsed by the All England Club, John Barrett chronicles the story of the development of the tournament, decade by decade, set against the backdrop of world events. He describes the great players who have appeared at the championships, discusses some of the controversies that have raged, such as the dramatic exit of Suzanne Lenglen in 1926 and the scandalous reaction to the lace panties of "Gorgeous" Gussie Moran in 1949, and some of the truly great moments, the duals between McEnroe and Borg and, more recently, Pete Sampras's seventh singles title. Within each decade are photographs and biographies of every men's and ladies' singles champion, complete with singles result from the 114-year history of the championships, contained in a statistics section. Containing more than 400 photographs, this book is a portrait of an occasion that has become as much an institution as an international sporting event.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

The Wimbledon Championships began in 1877 as little more than a Victorian summer pastime. Today, Wimbledon is one of the great international sports events, watched by more viewers than any other tennis tournament in the world. John Barrett, tennis journalist and former Davis Cup captain, chronicles the story of the tournament decade by decade, set against the backdrop of world events to provide a new perspective. He looks at the great players, discusses the controversies, and covers the truly great moments, including the duels between McEnroe and Borg and, more recently, Pete Sampras¹ seventh singles title. Within each decade are photos and biographies of every singles champion; and, for the first time, all the singles draws are presented in a full-page format along with the finals of all the doubles events. Complete with 480 photos and illustrations, as well as an impressive statistical section.

About the Author

John Barrett has a lifetime's experience in tennis. A former top junior player and later Davis Cup captain, he moved into journalism after his playing career came to an end. He has written on the sport for the Financial Times since 1964 and in recent years he has been the BBC's Voice of Tennis. He is the Editor of World of Tennis, the acclaimed No 1 tennis reference book, now in its 33rd edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 480 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins UK (June 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0007117078
• ISBN-13: 978-0007117079
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 9.1 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,696,818 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars An Unusually Erudite and Complete History of Wimbledon, January 2, 2011

By 

Joseph B. Stahl "JBrandeisS" (New Orleans, LA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wimbledon: The Official History of the Championships (Hardcover)

John Barrett, a member of the All England Club, which stages The Championships at Wimbledon, a former world-class tennis player himself and member of British Davis Cup teams, and husband of 1955 French singles and 1961 Wimbledon singles champion Angela Mortimer Barrett, is probably today's best educated tennis writer, and his marvelous compendium, Wimbledon, The Official History of The Championships, besides including all the Wimbledon singles drawsheets from its beginning, ingeniously and eruditely relates events at The Championships to developments in contemporary world history. It is a book that no genuine tennis fan can do without.

J.B. Stahl of New Orleans