In June 1877 the club decided to organise a tennis tournament to pay for the repair of its pony roller, needed to maintain the lawns.

The origin of tennis lies in the monastic cloisters in 12th-century France,[a] where the ball was struck with the palm of the hand in a game called jeu de paume.

[10][11][c] Major Harry Gem and Augurio Perera demonstrated their game of Pelota (Spanish for ball) and in 1872 created the world's first lawn tennis club at Leamington Spa.

[22] In November 1874 Wingfield published a second, expanded edition of The Book of the Game, which had 12 rules and featured a larger court and a slightly lower net.

[23][24] The All England Croquet Club was founded on 23 July 1868 by six gentlemen at the offices of The Field, a weekly country and sports magazine.

[29] The increasing rent, coupled with a waning interest in the sedate sport of croquet, was causing the club financial difficulties.

In February 1875 it decided to introduce lawn tennis at its grounds to capitalise on the growing interest in this new sport and generate additional revenue.

[30][31] The proposal was made by Henry Jones, a sports writer who published extensively in The Field under his nom de plume "Cavendish" and who had joined the club in 1869.

The introduction of lawn tennis was approved at the annual meeting and the club's membership fee was set at two guineas to cover both sports.

[38][33] These were significantly based on the rules introduced by Wingfield in February 1874 and published in his rule-booklet titled Sphairistikè or Lawn Tennis.

[41] Various aspects of these rules, including the characteristic court shape and the method of scoring, were the subject of prolonged debate in the press.

[42][30] The MCC rules were not universally adhered to following its publication and, among others, the Prince's Club in London stuck to playing on rectangular courts.

[43][44] On 2 June 1877, at the suggestion of the All England Club secretary and founding member John H. Walsh, the club committee decided to organise a lawn tennis championship for amateurs, a Gentlemen's Singles event,[i] which they hoped would generate enough funds to repair the broken pony roller that was needed for the maintenance of the lawns.

[48] Jones investigated all potential tournament locations in and around London but came to the conclusion that no other ground was more suitable than the Wimbledon premises at Worple Road.

Potential visitors were informed that those arriving by horse and carriage should use the entrance at Worple Road while those who planned to come by foot were advised to use the railway path.

The ground is situated close to the Wimbledon Station on the South Western Railway, and is sufficiently large for the erection of thirty "courts".

[63] To address these perceived shortcomings, a sub-committee consisting of Charles Gilbert Heathcote,[o] Julian Marshall and Henry Jones was set up on 2 June 1877, to establish the rules applicable for the upcoming tournament.

[57] In accordance with the All England Regulations for the Management of Prize Meetings, the draw for the 22 entrants was made on Saturday, 7 July 1877, at 3:30 p.m. in the club's pavilion.

The posts, nets and hand-stitched, flannel-covered India-rubber balls for the tournament were supplied by Jefferies & Co from Woolwich, while the rackets used were an adaptation of those used in real tennis, with a small and slightly lopsided head.

[71] The umpires who were provided for the matches sat on chairs which in turn were placed on small tables of 18 inches height to give them a better view of the court.

Spencer Gore, a 27-year-old rackets player from Wandsworth and at the time a land agent and surveyor by profession, won his first round match against Henry Thomas Gillson in straight sets.

[s] To solve the situation lots were drawn and Marshall, a 28-year-old architect and Cambridge real tennis blue, was given a bye to the final.

Marshall, playing his second match of the day, defeated Heathcote in straight sets, in front of a diminished crowd, and won the silver prize of seven guineas.

[87][88] On 20 July 1877, the day following the final, a report was published in The Morning Post newspaper:[88] Lawn Tennis Championship – A fair number of spectators assembled yesterday, notwithstanding the rain, on the beautifully kept ground of the All England Club, Wimbledon, to witness the final contest between Messrs. Spencer Gore and W. Marshall for the championship.

Mr. Heathcote takes the third prize, value £3 3s.A report in The Field stated: "The result was a more easy victory for Mr Spencer Gore than had been expected.".

"[31][93] He did return for the 1878 Championship to defend his title in the Challenge Round[x] but lost in straight sets to Frank Hadow, a coffee planter from Ceylon, who effectively used the lob to counter Gore's net play.

[98] At a time when the service was either made underarm or, usually, at shoulder height, this was seen as a serving dominance and resulted in a modification of the rules for the 1878 Championship.

[100] It marked the moment when the AEC & LTC effectively usurped the rule-making initiative from the MCC although the latter would still ratify rule changes until 1882.

[aa] The ceremony was performed by Heather Hanbury, Headmistress of Wimbledon High School; Philip Brook, Chairman of the All England Club, and Cr David T Williams JP, Mayor of Merton.