What kind of grass is traditionally used at Wimbledon?

Wimbledon traditionally uses rye grass, specifically perennial ryegrass, on its championship courts.

The grass is Lolium perenne, a cool-season species valued for its dense growth, attractive green colour, and ability to recover from heavy wear. Those qualities matter during Wimbledon’s fortnight, when the courts host hundreds of matches and receive intense foot traffic, especially around the baseline.

Since 2001, Wimbledon’s courts have been sown with 100% perennial ryegrass. Before that change, the turf used a mixture of 70% ryegrass and 30% creeping red fescue. The switch was intended to make the surface tougher and better able to withstand the modern power game.

A common mix-up is confusing the grass species with the playing surface: Wimbledon is famous for lawn tennis, but its courts are not made from artificial turf. The tournament remains the only Grand Slam played on natural grass, and the grass is cut to about 8 millimetres during preparations.