Few sporting occasions have a bedtime – the Wimbledon event is one in all them. The hallowed tennis event has a strict curfew for play, shutting down by 11 p.m. every evening. It’s the solely one of many 4 Grand Slams to have such a rule in place.
Earlier than the curfew was in place, play would cease at sunset, when gamers might now not view the ball, or umpires had been now not in a position to make correct line selections. In 2009, the All England Membership put in a retractable roof on Centre Courtroom. This meant that matches had been now not on the mercy of the solar.
Nonetheless, the 11 p.m. curfew rule was launched because the native council in Merton didn’t need the sport to increase late into the evening. “The 11 p.m. curfew is a planning situation utilized to stability the consideration of the native residents with the dimensions of a global tennis occasion that takes place in a residential space,” Merton Council stated, as quoted by he New York Occasions.
One other key issue was constraints related to transportation in and across the sports activities venue. Public transport choices for followers diminish later within the night, BBC Sports activities famous in its FAQ concerning the event. It’s a 15-minute stroll from the location to the closest London Underground station, and on weekdays, the Tube shuts down service by midnight native time.
The three different Grand Slams undergo from no such curfew. The French Open recurrently commences play post-8 pm, so that individuals can watch the matches post-work. The Australian Open takes place at Melbourne Park, away from town and residential areas. The U.S Open at Billie Jean King Tennis Heart regularly sees late matches. Each the U.S and Australian Open have matches scheduled later within the night as properly.
Notable cases
The Wimbledon curfew was lately within the highlight after it resulted within the postponement of the ultimate moments of play between World No. 4 Taylor Fritz and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard throughout their first spherical match on June 30, 2025.
The 2 gamers had completed taking part in the fourth set of what had now change into a five-set match, with every participant having received two units. After Fritz received the fourth set 7-6(6), the clock stood at 10:18 p.m. Whereas Fritz wished to proceed the match, Perricard didn’t wish to cease the match properly into the fifth set, which can have occurred as a result of 11 p.m. curfew. The choice got here right down to the supervisor, who suspended play. Fritz was visibly upset.
The match resumed the subsequent day, and Fritz received the ultimate set 6-4 to publish a victory after being two factors away from elimination the earlier evening. (The ultimate outcome stood at 6-7(6), 6-7(8), 6-4, 7-6(6), 6-4).
In 2019, Novak Djokovic‘s semifinal in opposition to Rafael Nadal started round 8 p.m. native time. Play was halted after the completion of the third set tiebreak at 11:02 p.m., and the match was completed a day later.
The event made an exception as soon as in latest historical past, throughout a match between Andy Murray and Marcos Baghdatis in 2012. Murray had received three units and was up 5-1 within the fourth set when the clock struck 11 p.m. With Murray about to serve for the match, play was continued until 11:02 p.m, permitting him to clinch the set and the match.
Different cut-off dates at Wimbledon
Matches are additionally stopped in evenings resulting from poor visibility after sunset. However in contrast to the curfew, there isn’t a chosen cease time for dangerous gentle. On July 3, the Wimbledon match between Ben Shelton and Rinky Hijikata was postponed because the darkness was about to forestall the digital line calling (ELC) system from working correctly. After 147 years of getting (human) line-calling judges, the ELC was launched at Wimbledon this yr.
Floodlights often allow play properly into the evening for different sporting occasions, like cricket or soccer matches. This isn’t, nevertheless, an answer for Wimbledon’s exterior courts; the grass courts change into slippery as soon as evening falls and the temperature drops, resulting in the formation of dew.
Broadcasting scheduling additionally has little impression on Wimbledon— both on the curfew or on the beginning instances. The Centre Courtroom matches begin at 1:30 pm native time, later than the opposite tourneys, permitting for spectators to get lunch. The No. 1 Courtroom sees matches begin at 1 p.m, whereas out of doors court docket matches begin the earliest, at 11 a.m.
Regardless of its seeming inconvenience, some view the curfew positively. Former British No. 1 tennis participant Laura Robson has supported the curfew, telling Metro that she thinks “the type of backlash of taking part in at 1am is a nightmare for the entire gamers concerned, the entire employees concerned, the entire ball children concerned. So yeah, I’d wish to see much less of that reasonably than eliminating the curfew.” Ending early additionally has well being advantages for the gamers, who threat damage the subsequent day in the event that they play late into the evening.
Printed – July 10, 2025 03:33 pm IST
