WIMBLEDON, England — World-class croquet lacks the surrealism of the Queen of Hearts’ game in Disney’s animated film “Alice in Wonderland,” as playing cards are replaced by rigid hoops often barely wide enough for a ball to pass through. Competitive croquet also does not include the tactical spitefulness of stepping on one ball while sending an opponent’s ball flying into backyard shrubbery, as in the 1988 dark comedy “Heathers.”

What top-flight croquet does have, albeit less captivating, are talented players often reeling off perfect shot after perfect shot without much interruption.

Though now synonymous with tennis, Wimbledon’s grass courts were born from croquet.

One of the first sports that allowed men and women to play on equal terms, croquet surged in popularity in Victorian England, and in 1868 the All England Croquet Club was founded.

“Croquet began to take off, and it became quite popular among the more landed gentry,” said Chris Williams, the archivist for the Croquet Association, the sport’s governing body in England. “But it was never really a spectator sport. It was more a sport for playing. Tennis effectively pushed croquet out.”