Yesterday at SW19 Johanna Konta, British number one, became Britain’s first women’s Wimbledon semi-finalist since 1978! And today at Wimbledon the men face off, all eyes will now be on Andy Murray who will look to follow Konta into the next round.
Looking through our shelves we were sure we could find at least something related to the sport that requires a strong neck from its spectator! Perhaps it was Suzanne Lenglen who gave the designer the inspiration for this French Fashion Drawing pictured below. Lenglen was a trendsetter and one of the first international female sports stars:
Below are some details of the French designed tennis outfit.
Within our Sports History Rare Books collection we have a number of handbooks and almanacs relating to Tennis, Wimbledon and the Lawn Tennis Association.
My favourite find today is from the ever posh Encyclopedia of Sport, 1912:
This beautifully bound collection of volumes contains a vast array of sports both familiar and less-so. Between the entries of the hunting of exotic creatures the encyclopedia describes the tennis player as someone …”imbued with the antiquarian spirit” and nods to the more complex rules that govern the game.
Best of luck to all still in the competition! COME ON TIM….aaargh, I mean ANDY!