FOUNDED in 1877, it is the oldest and most prestigious tennis tournament in the world that manages to enthral the country every summer – and spark a rush on sales of strawberries and cream.

This year's Wimbledon, which is only days away, will also debut a few new features fans are sure to love. As the excitement builds, it’s time to serve up a volley of facts and figures.

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First things first… will there be Murraymania?

Yes, but not as we know it. This year Sir Andy Murray will be on the doubles courts, more usually his brother Jamie’s stomping ground.

The Scot,who has won Wimbledon twice, in 2013 and 2016, announced at the Australian Open this year that it might have to be his last tournament due to injury, but hip surgery has given him a new lease of life and he made a glorious comeback on Sunday at Queen’s Club, winning the doubles title with Feliciano Lopez.

He is set to team up with Pierre-Hugues Herbert at Wimbledon, keeping the focus on doubles for the time being, as it places less strain on his body, with less distance to cover and shorter matches. But after his Queen’s win, he kept the door open for a potential return to singles at the US Open in August.

So when is Wimbledon?

The tournament starts on Monday, held as usual at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet (AELTC) Club. It finishes two weeks later with the men’s final. The women’s singles final is scheduled to take place the day before.

Who is in contention this year?

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic won the men’s title for the fourth time last year, while Germany’s Angelique Kerber triumphed for the first time in the women’s final. They are among the contenders this year, with Roger Federer the favourite to win the men’s trophy and Serena Williams the favourite for the women’s. French Open 2019 winner Rafa Nadal is a hot tip, with the 18-times Grand Slam winner aiming to earn his third Wimbledon crown.

What’s with the strawberries and cream?

Last year at Wimbledon, a staggering 23 tonnes of strawberries and 7,000 litres of cream were served up. When laid end-to-end, these berries would stretch almost 37 miles.

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The tradition of serving them to tennis fans is thought to date back to Tudor times. Thomas Wolsey, who was King Henry VIII’s Lord Chancellor, built Hampton Court, which had a tennis court. Staff are said to have served strawberries and cream to spectators, which is thought to be where the link between the game and the fruit stems from.

Pimm’s is popular too?

Wimbledon spectators are also known to enjoy a glass or two of the gin-based drink.

The first Pimm’s bar opened at the 1971 Wimbledon tournament and last year, 150,000 glasses were poured, along with 100,000 pints of beer and lager and 30,000 portions of fish and chips.

Where can I watch?

The ballot for this year has closed, but tickets are still sold on the day, although competition is fierce as eager fans do camp out to get first in line. If that isn’t an option, enjoying it on TV is the best choice. The BBC will show every match live in HD.

There’s a new roof?

Centre Court has had a retractable roof since 2009. It now has a companion for 2019 with an 80,000 sq ft retractable roof in operation on No. 1 court.

What else is new?

For the first time this year, Wimbledon will feature a tie-break at 12-all in the final set.

It comes after the final set of Kevin Anderson’s semi-final with John Isner last year lasted nearly three hours.

Any fun Wimbledon facts?

During the event, the grass is cut to a height of exactly 8mm. And during the two weeks of play, more than 54,000 tennis balls are used.