Because wearing your Wimbledon whites without the fear of bird poop is where it’s at.
Sports Curious presented by Last Night's Game, is here to help you join the sports conversation, even if you don't know the first thing about sports. We breakdown what's happening in sports in an easy to understand, fun way without all of the statistics and jargon so you never have to exit stage left when the chatter at the office, dinner table or a networking event switches to sports.
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[Transcript]
1. The oldest tennis tournament in the world, Wimbledon, starts on July 1. It’s the only Grand Slam Tournament (one of four during the season) that takes place on a grass court. GET OFF MY LAWN
2. While the tourney isn’t generous with their trophies, they are progressive when it comes to equal pay. For the eighth year in a row, the prize money has increased with both the men’s and women’s winner taking home a check for $3.06 million. Although they don’t get the keep the trophy – the winner receives a replica. WIN SOME, LOSE SOME
3. There’s a strict dress code at the prestigious tournament, requiring players to wear all white. And we all know that nothing ruins your summer whites like bird poop. Luckily you don’t have to worry about that at Wimbledon. Rufus is a specially trained hawk that keeps other birds off of the courts. (Seriously, have they thought of everything)? EYES LIKE A HAWK
4. The tennis balls are replaced every seven to nine games to make sure they’re kept in perfect shape. It’s no wonder more than 54,000 tennis balls are used during the two week tournament. But did you know that tennis balls used to be white or black, not yellow. They were changed to yellow to make it easier for the TV viewer to see the ball, but Wimbledon was a late adopter to the color change, waiting until the 80s. HOLY BALLS
5. Grunting is something no longer left to gremlins and grumpy old men. Even the classiest of tennis players vocalize their play. While you may think this is a new thing, Monica Seles and Jimmy Connors are known as the original creators of the tennis grunt. The loudest one on the court? Russia’s Maria Sharapova at 105 decibels – the equivalent of standing next to an accelerating motorcycle. THAT’S NOT AWKWARD AT ALL
Want to be able to dive into the details? Here’s how to speak tennis like the pros and keep score.
