In case you missed it, the grassy courts of Wimbledon are open once again for the annual championship—the oldest tennis tournament in the world. Seven-time Wimbledon champion Serena Williams is back in action, moving through the singles bracket and joining sister Venus in the doubles, and Roger Federer is looking for his ninth win. To commemorate the most famous fortnight in sports, we’re revisiting our interview with Elizabeth Wilson, an English tennis fan and cultural historian. Among her surprising insights, given the pay gap between genders in modern tournaments: the game’s Victorian reboot found men and women on the same playing field.
Go beyond the episode:
- Elizabeth Wilson’s Love Game: A History of Tennis from Victorian Pastime to Global Phenomenon
- Your place for live scores and other updates from the BBC
- “At Wimbledon, Married Women Are Still ‘Mrs.’”
- “Roger Federer, $731,000; Serena Williams, $495,000: The Pay Gap in Tennis”
- And Claudia Rankine’s superb profile, “The Meaning of Serena Williams”
Tune in every week to catch interviews with the liveliest voices from literature, the arts, sciences, history, and public affairs; reports on cutting-edge works in progress; long-form narratives; and compelling excerpts from new books. Hosted by Stephanie Bastek.
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