Harish Palaniappan's

Tennis's most coveted lawns are back in the camera.. for Wimbledon 2005 has started challenging the greatest tennis stars. Marked no less than the No.1 competition in lawn tennis, tennis in wimbledon is 'The biggest' challenge for Tennis champs on earth.

But tennis is not the only or even the first sport that brought wimbledon national fame. Let's explore wimbledon from the history.

History Source: wikipedia
Wimbledon, best known for much of the 20th century as the home of the Wimbledon tennis championships, is a town in south-west London. It began life as a village at the edge of Wimbledon Common

Tennis was not the the first sport to bring Wimbledon national fame. The National Rifle Association's first competitions took place in 1860 on Wimbledon Common and were opened by Queen Victoria firing the first shot. In 1878 the competitions, now lasting two weeks, had grown to nearly 2,500 competitors.

Meanwhile, in the 1870s, at the bottom of the hill next to the railway line, the All-England Croquet Club had begun to hold its annual championships. But croquet was beginning to become less popular and after initially setting aside just one of its lawns for the new sport of lawn tennis, it decided to hold its first Lawn Tennis Championship in July 1877. Increasing popularity for tennis meant that the small grounds could not cope with the numbers of spectators and in 1922 the renamed All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club moved to new grounds near the village. Wimbledon historian Richard Milward recounts how King George V opened the new courts. "He gave three blows on a gong, the tarpaulins were removed, the first match started - and the rain came down..."

The club's old grounds continue to be used as the sports ground for Wimbledon High School.

Wimbledon has also been well known for another brief period of sporting fame. Wimbledon Football Club won the FA Cup in May 1988 prompting great celebrations in the streets of the town as the team appeared on the balcony of the Town Hall. But by 2000 the team was demoted from the top division of English football after just 14 years competing amongst the country's top teams.

In the world of literature, Wimbledon provides the principal setting for several comic novels by author Nigel Williams (including the best-selling The Wimbledon Poisoner) as well as for Elizabeth Beresford's series of children's stories about the Wombles. Also, Wimbledon was the site where the sixth Martian invasion ship landed in H.G. Wells' book The War of the Worlds.

Catch up with some ..more..wimbledon tennis facts here.

Wimbledon tennis courts -How to get there.. maps and links.. here

In my next blog.. i will get with some wimbledon tennis court images.