- An ex-British No 1 has named the Wimbledon rule they want to keep
- They have said that it should remain in place because it ‘follows the rules’
- That is despite the regulation coming in for criticism during the tournament
Former British No 1 Laura Robson has named the rule they believe should never be changed at Wimbledon despite it coming in for criticism at this year’s tournament.
Robson believes the regulation should remain in place because it ‘follows the rules’.
That is despite backlash against its implementation at this year’s Championships – as a combination of long matches, extended heat and rain have led to a tweaked schedule at various points.
The rule came into effect back in 2009 when a roof was installed on Centre Court for the first time.
It is one that is only place at Wimbledon, with the Australian Open, the French Open and the US Open all choosing not to implement it.
This concerns an 11pm curfew at the only grass court Grand Slam of the year, which is enforced by Merton Council to reduce the effect of noise pollution on its residents.
Former British No 1 Laura Robson has named the rule they believe should never be changed at Wimbledon
They believe the regulation in question should remain in place at the Championships
The deadline was bemoaned most notably by Taylor Fritz, who was unhappy that his first round match against Frenchman Giovanni Mpetchi Perricard was suspended at 10:20pm last Monday.
Fortunately for the American, he has made it into the second week of Wimbledon, which will see him face 17th seed Karen Khachanov on Tuesday.
Despite Fritz’s protestations, Robson, whose highest world ranking was 27, has backed the rule to remain in place.
Speaking to Metro, she said: ‘Honestly, I think tennis has become way too much of a late night sport. Why are we playing at 2am? Why are we playing at 3am?’
‘It’s not normal and no other sport does it. Sure, you want to have the opportunity to finish the match. If it’s 10.30pm and you’re going to be 15 minutes over, of course that makes sense.
‘In general I think the sort of backlash of playing at 1am is a nightmare for all of the players involved, all of the staff involved, all of the ball kids involved.
‘So yeah, I’d like to see less of that rather than getting rid of the curfew.’
Debate over the implementation of the curfew comes with Wimbledon under scrutiny for expansion plans, which have been blasted by local residents.
The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) has sought planning permission to treble the size of the 42-acre site. Pictured: An aerial view of Wimbledon on July 8, 2019
The proposed expansion will include a new 8,000-seat stadium and 38 new grass courts on 73 acres of the former golf course that it has bought across the road
The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) has sought planning permission to treble the size of the 42-acre site to include a new 8,000-seat stadium and 38 new grass courts on 73 acres of the former golf course that it has bought across the road.
Local residents have lodged a judicial review challenge to the decision by the Greater London Authority (GLA) to approve the planning application, which will be heard in the High Court this week.
On Friday, while commenting on British player Cameron Norrie’s victory over Mattia Bellucci, Tim Henman said when the camera shot to an aerial view of the site: ‘Those drone shots as we’ve seen through the tournament give a great view of the land around and hopefully what might be developed in the future’.
In response, a spokesman for the Save Wimbledon Park group (SWP) said: ‘Yes, it is a glorious view and SWP are campaigning to keep it that way, without the 8,000 seat stadium, the 38 extra tennis courts and the miles of concrete walkways and maintenance hubs that AELTC wish to impose on this grassland.
‘We also want to keep those glorious trees whose existence is threatened by AELTC’s plans to turn Wimbledon Park into an industrial tennis complex.’
