'Quiet please'...Wimbledon has been voted an English icon.

Run by the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, Wimbledon is regarded as the premier Tennis tournament in the world. It is also the oldest, dating back to 1877. The first championship was a small event more comparable to a garden party than to a national tournament. Around 200 people attended, in contrast to the 13,000 that attend every year nowadays.

In 1884 the first ladies' singles tournament was held, and at the turn of the century the competition was opened to international players. The late 1930s were the golden years for British Tennis, with Fred Perry and Dorothy Round taking the titles. However, no British player has won the men's singles since 1937, or the womens' singles since Virginia Wade took the title in 1977.

All time Wimbledon champions include William Renshaw and Pete Sampras who have both won the men's singles seven times, and in the late 1970s and 80s Martina Navratilova won the ladies' singles a record nine times.

Traditions at Wimbledon include a rule that players must wear all white, and that they must curtsey or bow if the Queen or Prince of Wales is present. Another unofficial tradition is the eating of strawberries and cream - every year 62,000 pounds of strawberries and 1540 gallons of cream are sold!

The stamp below is from the Sports Organisations issue from March 1988.

Illustration

31p stamp of a tennis player, 1988