(CNN) -- Britain hosts a sporting event over the next fortnight that manages to combine every conceivable stereotype associated with the nation -- rain, royalty and heroic British failure. Wimbledon follows the Queen's Diamond Jubilee -- when Britons, with Union Jacks in hand, stood in the pouring rain as the monarch cruised past in a barge on the Thames -- and a day after the exit of England's soccer team from a major international tournament -- as so often before on penalties -- after defeat by Italy in Euro 2012. Since its inception in 1877 the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in a small, affluent suburb of south west London that gives the event its name, has presided over a tournament -- the oldest and grandest on the tennis circuit -- that has become more than simply another fixture on the grand slam calender.
@highlight
Wimbledon is the oldest tennis tournament in the world
@highlight
It began in 1877; defending champion Novak Djokovic hails its "tradition"
@highlight
The tournament is a powerful brand exporting one aspect of "Britishness"
@highlight
But is Wimbledon still a relevant reflection of the country today?
Britishness
And for the millions of people that will watch Wimbledon around the world -- and it is estimated that that the global TV audience could be as high as 500 million -- the tournament also reinforces what many think constitutes @placeholder.
Wimbledon
Wimbledon
Wimbledon
Yet the power of the @placeholder brand to shape what the rest of the world thinks of Britain remains.
Britain
Yet the power of the Wimbledon brand to shape what the rest of the world thinks of @placeholder remains.
Wimbledon
Wimbledon
Wimbledon
There is nowhere on earth where you can just say '@placeholder' and people won't know what you're talking about.
British
Britons
It's all nice enough (and) reinforces @placeholder imagery but not create it.
Britishness
"If Wimbledon is going to be derided, it's because it seems remote and insulated from this type of @placeholder."
Britain
"@placeholder is the right sort of template for the 21st century in that it is a multinational state that isn't at war with itself, that isn't tearing itself apart, and is actually showing the world how to function."
Britain
In that version of @placeholder, there's plenty of space for an event like Wimbledon.
Britishness
"There is no longer a single, unified conception of @placeholder that's good for all times.