Wimbledon Betting Wimbledon has often been described as the 'Mecca' of professional tennis tournaments, and for good reason considering it's been around since 1877, and has spawned some of the most exciting tennis matches, rivalries and betting opportunities over the decades.

Ask any tennis fan what the world's most prestigious tennis tournament is, and they'll almost certainly answer Wimbledon without blinking an eye. And they'd be right. The Championships is a grass tennis tournament held each year from the middle of June to the beginning of July at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in the London suburb of Wimbledon, hence the name Wimbledon.

Wimbledon History

In fact, the first ever Wimbledon tennis tournament took place in 1877 in the form of Gentlemen's Singles, which drew some 22 players and was won by Spencer Gore. It attracted over 200 spectators, no doubt many of whom bet on the outcome. And so the world's most famous tennis tournament was born, as well as what would evolve into a thriving Wimbledon betting industry.

In 1884, Ladies' Singles and Gentlemen's Doubles were added to the Wimbledon lineup, as were Ladies' Doubles and Mixed Doubles in 1913. Wimbledon was televised for the first time in 1937 and remained an amateur event until 1968, when it became the professional event it is today, with some of the biggest prizes for the winners in the sport. For instance, the prize pool for the 2012 Wimbledon Championships is £14,600,000.

Wimbledon Rules

Wimbledon is a single-elimination tournament which means players are knocked out the first time they lose. Gentlemen's Singles and Gentlemen's Doubles are played up to five sets (best-of-five) while all other events are played up to three sets (best-of-three). If the score reaches 6-6 in any set except the last set, a tiebreak ensues.

However, in the final set, the winner must win by two games. This rule led to an incredible match in 2010 between American John Isner and Frenchman Nicolas Mahut. It was only a men's' first round singles match, but is now part of Wimbledon tennis history as the longest match ever played (11 hours over 3 days). Isner eventually won 6-4, 3-6, 6-7, 7-6 and 70-68.

Wimbledon Greats

Over the years Wimbledon betting fans have had a wide choice tennis greats and highly anticipated matchups to wager on. Some of Wimbledon's best known champions include Rod Laver, Margaret Court, Bjöat;rn Borg, John McEnroe, Chris Evert, Billie Jean King, Navr´tilov´, Boris Becker, Pat Cash, Steffie Graf, Andre Agassi, Roger Federer, Serena Williams and many more.

Post 1968, American Pete Sampras still holds the record for the most number of Wimbledon men's singles titles with seven, while American Martina Navr´tilov´ still holds the record for the most number of Wimbledon women's singles titles with nine.

Wimbledon 2012

Heading into Wimbledon 2012, in terms of early betting favourites to win the Men's Wimbledon Singles title, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Andy Murray, Juan Martin del Potro and Milos Raonic are leading the way. And when it comes to the Women's Wimbledon Singles title, Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, Petra Kvitova, Victoria Azarenka, Kim Clijsters and Caroline Wozniacki are at the top of the betting boards.