The short answer
Wimbledon's men's singles trophy is a silver-gilt cup bought by the All England Club in 1887 after William Renshaw won two earlier challenge cups outright. The women's singles prize is the Venus Rosewater Dish, first presented in 1886 and decorated with classical figures. Neither singles champion keeps the original. The men's winner receives a three-quarter-size replica, while the women's winner receives a smaller replica of the dish.
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The men’s prize had to stop disappearing
Wimbledon’s first gentlemen’s trophy was the Field Cup, used from 1877. It was a challenge cup that could be won outright. William Renshaw did so, then repeated the feat with its successor, the Challenge Cup.
The All England Club responded by spending 100 guineas on a new trophy in 1887 and declaring that it would never become the champion’s property.
The current cup dates from 1887
The Gentlemen’s Singles Trophy is made of silver gilt, stands 18 inches high and measures 7.5 inches across. Its inscription calls the event the All England Lawn Tennis Club Single Handed Championship of the World.
Champions’ names and years encircle the bowl. When engraving space ran out, a black plinth with an ornamented silver band was introduced in 2009.
The Rosewater Dish began one year earlier
The Ladies’ Singles Trophy was first presented in 1886. It is a sterling-silver salver, partly gilded, with a diameter of 18.75 inches.
Its central figure is Temperance, surrounded by classical imagery including representations of the liberal arts. “Venus Rosewater Dish” is the familiar name, although the decoration is more complex than a single figure of Venus.
Champions receive replicas
Neither singles champion takes permanent ownership of the original. The men’s champion receives a three-quarter-size replica bearing the names of past winners. The women’s champion receives a smaller replica of the dish.
That policy protects continuous objects while still giving the winner a permanent prize, much like The Open’s Claret Jug.
Wimbledon has five championship trophies
The famous singles prizes are only part of the collection. The gentlemen’s doubles, ladies’ doubles and mixed doubles events have distinct trophies with their own donors and histories.
Treating every champion as winning “the Wimbledon trophy” hides the institution’s event structure. The tennis rules define separate draws; the trophy cabinet does the same in silver.
The objects preserve older language
The men’s inscription and the classical programme of the Rosewater Dish belong to the late Victorian world in which the championships matured. Wimbledon has modernised scoring technology and competition operations without replacing those prizes.
Like the Champions League cup, the trophies preserve vocabulary that outlived later branding. Their continuity is deliberate: history is held in the object while each new champion is added to it.
Frequently asked questions
What is the men's Wimbledon trophy called?
It is generally called the Gentlemen's Singles Trophy; its inscription describes the All England Lawn Tennis Club's single-handed championship.
What is the women's Wimbledon trophy called?
It is commonly called the Venus Rosewater Dish.
Why was the current men's cup introduced?
William Renshaw won two predecessor challenge cups outright, so the club bought a trophy that would never become a winner's property.
When were the current trophies first presented?
The Rosewater Dish was first presented in 1886 and the current men's cup in 1887.
Do Wimbledon singles champions keep the originals?
No. They receive smaller replicas while the All England Club retains the originals.
Why was a new plinth added to the men's trophy?
By 2009 the cup had run out of engraving space, so a black plinth with a silver band was added for later champions.