Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Latest News

Wimbledon curfew: what is it and what does it mean?

Fans of Novak Djokovic were left disappointed on Sunday when, as it looked like the Serbian was romping to a straight-sets victory over world No. 18 Hubert Hurkacz at Wimbledon, play was stopped for the day.

Neither player was injured and the fans were engaged, but – like Andy Murray a few days prior – the game was suspended because it had come up against the tournament’s curfew.

What is the curfew at Wimbledon?

Unlike other grand slams, play at The All England Lawn Tennis Club is capped to finish at a certain time.

The outside courts stop play when light becomes an issue but on the show courts – Centre and No. 1 Court – there are retractable roofs – fitted with LED lights – which means the action could theoretically continue all night.

However, whereas at grand slams such as the Australian Open and US Open matches often finish well into the early hours of the morning, play is stopped on Wimbledon’s show courts at 11 p.m. local time (6 p.m. ET).

The rule, which was implemented in 2009 with the opening of the retractable roof on Centre Court, means that no play can continue past 11 p.m. local time with matches resuming the following day.

In a statement released in 2018, the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club said: “The 11pm 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.”

What it means?

Already at this year’s Wimbledon, two matches haven fallen foul of the curfew.

The first was Murray’s epic second-round match against Stefanos Tsitsipas which didn’t start until almost 8 p.m. local time after Liam Broady’s five-set thriller against Casper Ruud and Alize Cornet’s injury-delayed defeat by defending champion Elena Rybakina.

There was little to separate Murray and Tsitsipas when they did take to the court. And after Murray had won the third set to take a 2-1 lead, the match was stopped approximately 20 minutes before the curfew.

Play eventually resumed on Friday only after No. 1 seed Carlos Alcaraz had completed his second-round match.

The break seemed to work in Tsitsipas’ favor as he won the two remaining sets to advance to the next round.

The other match to be suspended because of the curfew was Djokovic’s clash with Hurkacz on Sunday.

Like Murray and Tsitsipas, the duo only took to Center Court late into the evening after Andrey Rublev and Alexander Bublik went to five sets and and women’s world No. 1 Iga Świątek came back from a set down to beat Belinda Bencic.

When they did take to a court, Djokovic and Hurkacz played out two thrilling sets, with the world No. 2 eventually winning them both on tie-breaks.

After the second tie-break, play was suspended with the match set to resume on Monday at the beginning of the third set with a spot in the quarterfinals on the line.

The most recent exception to the rule was Murray’s win over Marcos Baghdatis in 2012 which finished at 11.02 p.m. local time with Murray just a game away from victory at the time when the game should have stopped per the curfew.

At the time, Merton Council’s leader, Stephen Alambritis, said that “flexibility and common sense prevailed.”

“We were in touch with the All England Club from 10pm onwards and there were discussions between our planning officers and the tournament director,” Alambritis said, per the Wimbledon Guardian.

“We have always said these prearrangements were to be used with discretion, so I was pleased flexibility and common sense prevailed, because we have a duty to both the residents as well as the tennis.”

This post appeared first on cnn.com







    Stay updated with the latest news, exclusive offers, and special promotions. Sign up now and be the first to know! As a member, you'll receive curated content, insider tips, and invitations to exclusive events. Don't miss out on being part of something special.



    By opting in you agree to receive emails from us and our affiliates. Your information is secure and your privacy is protected.

    You May Also Like

    Latest News

    Not since LeBron James was drafted 20 years ago has there been this much excitement about an NBA prospect – as shown by the...

    Editor's Pick

    IoT Analytics published the Q1/2023 update of their “Global Cellular IoT Module and Chipset Market Tracker & Forecast” – an interactive dashboard and structured...

    Latest News

    Here’s a look at the life of Imelda Marcos, the former first lady of the Philippines. Wife of the late Ferdinand Marcos, who ruled...

    Economy

    This year marks the 78th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. On August 6th, 1945 “Fat Man” instantly killed 80,000 of...

    Disclaimer: Boostyoursavings.com, its managers, its employees, and assigns (collectively “The Company”) do not make any guarantee or warranty about what is advertised above. Information provided by this website is for research purposes only and should not be considered as personalized financial advice. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendation. Any investments recommended here should be taken into consideration only after consulting with your investment advisor and after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company.


    Copyright © 2024 Boostyoursavings.com