The wild acclaim which greeted the victory of the highly popular Goran Ivanisevic at the 2001 Championships and the scenes of jubilation which followed would have amused, and possibly bewildered, the man who started all this 125 years ago by winning the first-ever Wimbledon in 1877.

Spencer Gore, a 27-year-old six-footer with a red beard, was gently applauded by an audience of only 200 when he defeated William Marshall in straight sets for the loss of seven games in just 48 minutes. There were 22 entries for the first-ever men's championship (women were not permitted to compete until 1884) and a total of 21 matches were spread over the first five days before proceedings were suspended for the weekend so as not to clash with the Eton v Harrow cricket at Lord's.

There was an early weather record established when the final on Monday had to be postponed four days because of rain and when play finally got under way in slippery conditions it was further delayed by another deluge. Unlike the emotions surrounding Ivanisevic's long-overdue title win, there would be no tears, no arms uplifted to heaven, no thunderous applause.

Gore, the first champion of what became the world's greatest tennis tournament, simply collected the silver trophy and returned to a life which largely centred around playing cricket, raising his young family of four children and having a jolly good time of it.

Gore was an appropriate inaugural champion, since he was born and raised within a mile of both the old Worple Road grounds and the present headquarters of the All England Club. He was also christened at St Mary's Church, whose slim steeple is a familiar landmark overlooking the courts.

Educated at Harrow, Gore became more athlete than scholar, excelling at all games, especially football and cricket, and captaining the school cricket eleven. He went on to play twice for Surrey in the county championship and though in his first game he hit 17 runs off the first four balls he received, Gore did not establish himself as a county cricketer, despite several centuries in club matches.

An accomplished banjo player, Gore was also keen on amateur theatrics, appearing with a group called the Old Stagers, and he had a reputation as a wit and comedian. On a walking tour of the Isle of Wight it was noted that Gore "enlivened every mile of the way with impromptu nonsense verses on all and sundry."

His career as a surveyor, the playing of cricket and the raising of a family at the home he and his wife Amy bought near Wrotham in Kent did not prevent Gore becoming involved in the newer game of rackets and when tennis also began to gain in popularity Gore turned an adept hand to that, too. The racket he used at that first Wimbledon was lop-sided, pear-shaped and closely resembled, in weight and appearance, the sort used for the game of real tennis.

Gore reached the Wimbledon final comfortably, dropping only two sets in four matches, and in the final against Marshall, an architect who went on to design the two real tennis courts at Queen's Club in London, the ability to serve strongly and to employ decisively a new stroke called the volley, ensured Gore would collect first prize of 12 guineas and a silver cup presented by the sports magazine, The Field.

Next day Britain's two leadings newspapers, The Times and The Illustrated London News, both carried long articles under the headline "The Wimbledon Meeting" but these turned out to be reports of the rifle championships held the same day on Wimbledon Common.

The only publication to provide coverage of the historic tennis occasion was The Field, which more or less also became the first sponsor in the sport by providing the trophy and playing equipment.

Gore was described by one of his defeated opponents, C.G. Heathcote, as "much the best player of the year, with a service more varied than that of almost all other players." Heathcote also acknowledged the Gore volley as "no mere pat over the net."

Heathcote praised the new champion as someone "gifted with a natural genius for all games," though Gore himself dismissed tennis as "a monotonous game compared with others." Nevertheless, he returned in 1878 when, as defending champion, he was required only to face the winner of the preliminary elimination event. This was Frank Hadow, a tea planter home on leave from Ceylon, who despite standing on 5ft 4in outmanoeuvred the tall Gore in a thrilling final 7-5 6-1 9-7.

Neither Gore nor Hadow competed again at Wimbledon, though Hadow returned half a century later to collect a commemorative medal from Queen Mary as the oldest surviving champion.

In his later years Gore suffered poor health, possibly as a result of business and family worries, and after spending the previous evening playing billiards, he died the next morning, 19 April 1906, aged 56, at the Granville Hotel in the seaside resort of Ramsgate. He was buried on St George's Day, April 23, in Ramsgate Cemetery, Kent.