A fruit to be prized
Yes, it is a pineapple adorning the top of the Wimbledon gentlemen’s singles trophy, but no, no one seems to know why.
The most plausible explanation for the presence of this unlikely fruit atop the most prestigious trophy in tennis is that, when The Championships began in the latter half of the 19th century, pineapples were prized as a rare and exclusive food.
Although Christopher Columbus brought a pineapple back from his 1492 expedition to the New World pineapples remained expensive to import to, or grow in, western Europe, until commercial production began in Hawaii in the early 1900s. Serving them was thus an indication of high status.
The gentlemen’s singles trophy is actually the third iteration. The first, donated by The Field newspaper and known as The Field Cup, was won in perpetuity by William Renshaw after he won three successive finals from 1881-83.
Its replacement, the Challenge Cup, quickly became Renshaw’s too as he extended his winning run to 1886 (until 1921 the holder only played one match, the Challenge Round against the winner of the All-Comers’ final). Having spent 50 guineas (21 shillings, or £1.05, a not insignificant sum in those days) on that trophy the All England Club had to find another 100 guineas (around £13,000 in modern terms) for the next. However, this time they stipulated the trophy ‘would never become the property of the winner’.
The trophy is made of silver gilt, stands 18 inches (46cm) high, and is inscribed: ‘The All England Lawn Tennis Club Single Handed Championship of the World’. The names of all champions since the first, Spencer Gore in 1877, are engraved on the trophy, though a lack of space means champions since 2009 are commemorated on a black plinth with a silver ornamented band that now accompanies the cup. Since 1949 all champions have received a replica of the trophy to keep.
The original Field Cup is now owned by the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum and is on display there. The whereabouts of the second trophy are unknown.