Wimbledon is one of the largest tennis tournaments in the world, with a total prize fund of over £44 million (in 2023). At the beginning of July 1877, readers of the English newspaper The Field read the following advertisement: “The All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club Wimbledon invites everyone to try their hand at a tennis competition on Monday, July 9, and on the following days. Two prizes await the winners: a gold prize for the champion, and a silver prize for the finalist!”