Homeowners set to have smashing time during Wimbledon

As Wimbledon Mania sweeps the nation once more, many UK tennis fans caught up in the frenzy are eager to get outside and display their racquet skills, expert or otherwise. Halifax Home Insurance typically sees a rise in home insurance claims for broken windows and other accidental glass breakages in the run up to Wimbledon, with claims increasing by around a fifth (18%) in June last year compared to last January's claims data.

Head of Underwriting for Halifax Home Insurance, David Rochester said: "During the summer months we often notice an increase in claims for broken windows and other accidental breakages. We'd advise any budding Murrays and Sharapovas to take care when playing ball sports close to home, and check they are insured for accidental damage should a mishap occur."

According to Halifax claims data, Brummies had the most smashing time last year, with people in Solihull and Birmingham claiming most frequently for broken glass and windows. Those in Harrow, Uxbridge and Wembley were not far behind, and it would seem residents in High Wycombe were also apparently displaying their lack of racquet skills to dramatic effect.

Top ten most 'smashing' places in the UK

1 Solihull and South East Birmingham
2 Harrow, Uxbridge and Wembley
3 High Wycombe
4 Maidstone
5 Isle of Wight
6 Chester, North Wales and Wirral
7 Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine
8 Nottingham
9 Romford
10 Norwich

Wimbledon 2008 is set to run from June 23rd until July 6th and it is likely to attract around 35,000 spectators a day, not to mention the 1.8m viewers who will watch it on TV. The tournament has a long history which began in 1877. Since then, Wimbledon Mania has gradually spread across the globe, with players from over 60 nations now competing in front of millions through television, radio, press and internet coverage.

Wimbledon Tennis Trivia

The current Men's Singles Champion is five times Wimbledon winner, Swiss supremo Roger Federer, while the USA's Venus Williams holds the Women's Singles title.

There were 22 entries for the first ever men's championship.

The first ever Wimbledon winner was Spencer Gore in 1877.

Women were not permitted to enter Wimbledon until 1884.

Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum is shortlisted for the 2008 European Museum of the Year Award.

The electronic referees, called 'Cyclops' were first introduced to Wimbledon in 1980 and are now used in many tennis tournaments around the world. They monitor the service line using a beam of infra red light to determine whether a serve is in or out.