July 5, 2024 | Awake & Dreaming

The Gentlemen’s Singles Trophy was first presented by the All England Club in 1887.

It replaced the Field Cup (1877-1883) and the Challenge Cup (1884-1886) which were both won by William Renshaw after twice winning the Gentlemen’s Single title three times in succession.

The AELTC spent 100 guineas to purchase a trophy as the Club was not prepared to risk losing a third Cup to a future three-times Champion so the decision was taken that the new trophy would never become the property of the winner.

The Cup, which is made of silver gilt, stands 18 inches high and has a diameter of 7.5 inches. The inscription on the Cup reads: “The All England Lawn Tennis Club Single Handed Championship of the World”.

Around the bowl are engraved the dates and names of the Champions.

In 2009, there being no space left to engrave the names of the Champions, a black plinth with an ornamented silver band was designed to accompany the Cup.

The Champions receive a three-quarter size replica of the Cup bearing the names of all past Champions (height 13.5 inches).

David Raya has signed a long-term contract with the club to complete his permanent move from Brentford. The 28-year-old goalkeeper spent last season with us on loan and was an integral part of the success we enjoyed and history we made. He made 41 appearances in all competitions, keeping 20 clean sheets. Sixteen of those were in the Premier League and earned David the 2023/24 Premier League Golden Glove. Born in Barcelona, Spain, he arrived in England aged 16, signing for Blackburn Rovers. He tasted success in Lancashire, gaining his first promotion to the Championship and making 108 senior appearances for the club. Part of his development at Blackburn included a short spell on loan at Southport.

In the summer of 2019, David moved to Brentford and, including last season, he spent four years contracted to the west London club. A key player for Thomas Frank, he made 161 appearances in all competitions, keeping 54 clean sheets including, in his debut season, the 16 which saw him crowned joint-winner of the Championship Golden Glove award. A year later, he helped the Bees win promotion to the Premier League.After joining us on loan last August, David enjoyed a truly impressive campaign. He complemented his strong league form with some fine displays in Europe, most notably in the penalty shootout against Porto in the Champions League round of 16 when he saved two spot-kicks to send us into the quarter-finals of the competition for the first time in 14 years.

David helped his country, Spain, to silverware when they defeated the Netherlands to lift the 2023 UEFA Nations League. In preparation for Euro 2024, he kept a clean sheet in Spain’s 5-0 win against Andorra last month and another in their final group game at the tournament, a 1-0 victory over Albania. Everyone at the club is delighted to welcome David back. On making his move permanent, David said: “After a year on loan as a Gunner, I can finally say that I’m an Arsenal player for the coming years. I’m excited to see what the future holds but always living in and enjoying the present. “It’s a dream come true to be here and I want to thank you for all the support you have already given me throughout the last year.”