All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club are invited to become members. The patron of the club is Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and the President is The Duke of Kent. The Club was founded by six gentlemen at the offices of "The Field" on 23 July 1868 at the height of a croquet craze as the "All England Croquet Club," and held its first croquet competition in 1870. Its original ground was situated off Worple Road, Wimbledon. Croquet was very popular there until the then-infant sport of lawn tennis (a game introduced by Major Walter Clopton Wingfield a year or so prior, and originally called "Sphairistikè") was
1889 Wimbledon Championships 1889 Wimbledon Championships The 1889 Wimbledon Championships took place on the outdoor grass courts at the All England Lawn Tennis Club in Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom. The tournament ran from 1 July until 13 July. It was the 13th staging of the Wimbledon Championships, and the first Grand Slam tennis event of 1889. William Renshaw won his seventh singles title, which as late as 1977 was thought to be a feat unlikely to ever be surpassed. However, in 2000 Pete Sampras equaled this total, and in 2012 Roger Federer also won a seventh title. Ultimately the record was broken by