![]() ![]() Somehow, they allowed it despite the club’s strict dress code." “Designer Teddy Tinling had stitched some spare lace to her underwear and that took The Championships by storm. ![]() Kumar recalls that Gussie Moran’s lace underwear was the talk of Wimbledon 1949. Those were also the days of coquettish prudery. ![]() Kumar with Hollywood actor Frank Shields and other tennis players. At that time, it was considered unlucky if your gut broke, as no two rackets felt the same."Īccording to the Wimbledon website, the 2015 edition saw 425 rackets strung on the Sunday before the first round 14 stringers were on the job with electronic machines that can make the strands hum like a tuning fork at exactly the finicky level each player wants. “I had a racket restrung only when the guts broke. Top players carry 8-10, with varied tension in the strings.įor Kumar, though, two were enough. Today, even a rookie in the qualifying round carries at least half a dozen. ![]() Kumar only had a couple of rackets on him when he stepped out on the hallowed turf for the first time. If the prize money numbers aren’t impressive enough, do an equipment check. Now, even runners-up in the Legends (an invitational for past greats) get £19,000, and the winner, £22,000. I won a £5 voucher to spend in a sports goods store," says Kumar. “A consolation event for first- and second-round losers used to be held alongside, and I was runner-up twice in that. Singles champions in both draws-men’s and women’s-get £2.2 million each. The total prize money for the 1968 edition was £26,150.įorty-nine years later, Wimbledon awards £35,000 to every first-round loser. The men’s singles champion got £2,000 (around Rs1.2 lakh now), and the women’s singles champion, £750. That is the year professionals were allowed entry. For a start, there was no prize money during Kumar’s time-all that the winner took home, till 1968, was a trophy. Naresh Kumar accepting the Arjuna Award from then president Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan.Īs Kumar talks of his playing days, he etches the contrast between a tournament emerging from the shambles of an empire at the close of World War II and the massive money-making draw The Championships have now become. ![]()
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