by: HOWARD FENDRICH, Associated Press
Posted: Apr 27, 2021 / 8:25 AM MDT
/. Updated: April 27, 2021 / 8:25 AM MDT
FILE – In this file photo taken on June 29, 2020, 11am shows the time game had started at the All England Lawn Tennis Club at Wimbledon, London. With all of the pandemic-related planning for this year’s Wimbledon return – which is yet to be determined, including fan capacity and prize money – the biggest news from the All England Club comes into effect on Tuesday 2022: there will be a game at the Grand Middle Sunday of the slam tournament. (AP Photo / Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)
With all of the pandemic-related planning for this year’s Wimbledon return – which is yet to be determined, including fan capacity and prize money – the biggest news from the All England Club comes into effect on Tuesday 2022: there will be a game at the Grand Middle Sunday of the slam tournament.
In addition to creating a 14-day event by eliminating the traditional break in the middle, the historic decision forever changed what came to be known as “Manic Monday,” the opening of the second week that made Wimbledon the only major tennis championship with all the same On the 4th day, 16 individual games are planned for women and men in the fourth round.
Instead, the fourth round will be split between Sunday and Monday next year on a schedule that the organizers “want to permanently add to the schedule,” said Ian Hewitt, chairman of the All England Club, during a video conference.
The next year is a century since Center Court opened in 1922. Mean Sunday hosted the competition only four times when the rain broke the schedule and left games behind: 1991, 1997, 2004 and 2016.
“We want more of this wonderful event to be available to more people,” said Sally Bolton, General Manager.
The additional ticket and concession sales that are likely to become available are also likely to be appreciated by the club.
Both categories will fall in 2021 due to restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic that completely wiped out Wimbledon a year ago. This marked the first time the grass field tournament hadn’t been held since World War II, but the club had cancellation insurance that paid £ 180 million ($ 250 million), Hewitt said.
This year’s main draw for the Wimbledon singles is scheduled for June 28th to July 11th.
“For an organization that is used to knowing exactly what we are doing and when we are doing it, this year we had to learn to work with uncertainty,” said Bolton. “Much is still unknown at this point in time.”
As of now, there are plans to reduce capacity to 25% of the normal number – around 500,000 people attended the tournament over the 13 days of 2019 – but this could increase once the UK government decides whether restrictions can be relaxed . This is expected around June 21st.
With ticket sales affecting revenue and “there is too much financial uncertainty from now on,” Bolton expects this year’s prize money to be announced in June.
Ticket prices will stay at 2020 levels, she said.
But other elements are still in flux and depend on state rules. This includes whether viewers need to show they’ve received a COVID-19 vaccine or a negative test, whether they need to wear masks to protect themselves from the spread of the disease, and whether they can still gather in the grass – known as Henman Hill or Murray Mount – are used for picnics while you watch games on a large video screen.
Players must stay in hotels in what Bolton calls a “minimized risk environment” with coronavirus testing and a “track and trace program”. They are limited to three members each and are not allowed to rent private homes in Wimbledon Village, as is normally the case.
Hewitt sat at the desk in the club’s main interview room talking about this year’s tournament as part of the process of “welcoming a return to normal.”
And then he added, “It will, however, necessarily be different from Wimbledon as we know it.”
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