Wimbledon Finally Listens to Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray’s Desperate Plea After Repeated Requests for Weeks
Tennis players will have to wait until next year to know if their pleas for revising the Wimbledon curfew have been heard or not. Players like Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray were affected by the curfew timing this year. It remains to be seen if the All England club will pay heed to the players’ request or not.
If changes are made, they will be announced at the annual Spring press conference, in April next year. The Club has promised to look into the matter.
Andy Murray was a victim of the curfew this year. During his second-round clash with Stefanos Tsitsipas, play had to be halted 20 minutes before the 11 pm cut-off time. Murray was looking in good touch and was even leading with 2 sets under his belt.
When the match resumed the next day, Murray could not find the rhythm that he played with the night before. He eventually lost the match to Tsitsipas in 5 sets.
7 Time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic’s game against Hubert Hurkacz was stopped due to the same reason. He did go on to win the match when it was resumed. But he had a close shave against Stan Wawrinka for the same reason.
Both players criticized the 1.30 pm start time on Centre Court. Djokovic even suggested that the matches could start earlier. “I think the matches could be pushed at least to start at noon. I think it would make a difference,” he said.
While that is a very sound suggestion from Djokovic, will his recommendation be considered by the Club? There has been some criticism and an early start would benefit many.
What is the Wimbledon curfew?
The curfew is what separates Wimbledon from the other Grand Slams. There is a set time by which the matches have to end. If there is a possibility of the game extending beyond curfew, it is suspended for that night and resumed the following day. That cut-off time is 11 pm at the Club.
The rule was implemented in 2009, with the addition of the retractable roof on Centre Court. This means that play cannot go past 11 pm, unlike the Australian Open or US Open, where it can go on till the wee hours of the morning.
Novak Djokovic and Hubert Hurkacz
According to the Club’s statement in 2018, “The 11 pm curfew is a Planning Condition applied to balance the consideration of the local residents with the scale of an international tennis event that takes place in a residential area.
“The challenge of transport connectivity and getting visitors home safely is also a key consideration. The curfew was introduced for the opening of the Centre Court roof in 2009,” read the statement.
Sally Bolton, the Chief Executive of the Club has assured everyone that they will look into this. She admitted that there would be a “review of the start times”. Players will have to wait till the conference next year to see if any changes will be implemented.