THE TWO Wimbledon singles finals will start at 4pm – which means the trophy presentation might take place under a closed Centre Court roof.
Traditionally the climax to the men’s and women’s Championships have begun at 2pm on the finals weekend.
Wimbledon is making a big change to the singles finals[/caption]
Yet the matches are being moved back by two hours to maximise the TV audience in the United States.
Publicly, All England Club officials say that this later start encourages better crowds for the respective doubles finals.
In the past, the men’s and women’s doubles finals would happen after the singles showpiece occasions but a lot of fans do not hang around.
This is a chance for most people to leave the 15,000-capacity arena for a quick comfort break or food.
There is no denying that a later finish helps them crack the US and Wimbledon already have a tie-in with The Hill in New York.
And it will enable them to play the tournament to the “largest possible global audience”.
ESPN signed a 12-year extension with The All-England Club in 2021 worth a reported $400m (£290m) to continue broadcasting The Championships until 2035.
The later start times mean the finals will begin at a more favourable 11am on America’s east coast rather than 9am.
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But it means that if a final, for example, goes beyond four hours – and the five-set French Open epic between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner went five-and-a-half hours – then the light will become an issue.
It takes about 15-20 minutes to close the roof to ensure the air conditioning unit works properly.
And if the light is too bad, then the roof may have to be closed anyway for when Clare Balding conducts the post-final ceremonies.
It brings back memories of the famous 2008 final when Rafa Nadal beat Roger Federer after four hours and 48 minutes at 9.15pm in near darkness.
The final of the Club World Cup takes place on Sunday July 13 at 8pm in New Jersey and this might clash with the end of the tennis.
In 2026, the World Cup Finals – which will be staged in North and Central America – will clash with late-night tennis.
So, too, the European Championships in 2028 which will be staged in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland.
AELTC chief executive Sally Bolton said: “So we’ve had doubles players having to wait longer to go on court.
“So this is much more predictable for them, for the crowds on the grounds, as well as at home. The finals days now builds to a crescendo of those singles finals.
“Those singles finals will now be in front of the largest possible global audience at that time.”
