Wimbledon
Tennis season is here and this is the first of two articles (the second will be in July's edition) on the most iconic tournament of them all, Wimbledon.
Last year Wimbledon celebrated 100 years of Centre Court!
This year there are a few changes to the Championships which will improve participation.
The Rule to Wear White
This tradition is here to stay, however, for the first time ever, female competitors will be permitted to wear mid/dark coloured undershorts if they wish to.
Gentleman's Doubles
This year, the format has changed to the best of three sets instead of the traditional five sets. This is to bring Wimbledon in line with other Grand Slam rules. Off-court coaching will also be permitted this year - on a trial basis!
Wheelchair tennis
This year the Wheelchair and Quad tennis competition will begin a day earlier to allow players more of a chance for recovery if they reach the latter stages. The start time for play on the weekend of 15/16 July will be brought forward from 1 p.m. to 11 a.m. again to allow more of a profile to be given to the Wheelchair and Quad events.
Roblox and Wimbledon
During the Wimbledon Fortnight, you will be able to take part in WimbleWorld on Roblox! Last year there were 9.8 million visits to the site.
Russian and Belarusian players allowed to compete
This year, the decision has been made to allow Russian and Belarusian players to compete as 'neutral' athletes. Wimbledon were keen to stress that this does not in any way lessen their condemnation of the war in Ukraine. In fact, they are donating £1 for each ticket holder to Ukrainian relief - which will amount to more than half a million pounds! They have also invited 1000 Ukrainian refugees for a day at Wimbledon including tickets, food, drink and transport.
Big Matches
One thing that will not change, is the guarantee of some huge matches! This year, however, will sadly not see Rafael Nadal compete as an injury ruins his chances of also taking part in the French Open. He has also said he plans to retire in 2024 and so wants to make 2024 a great season.
Last year saw an epic battle between controversial tennis player Nick Kyrios and Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Kyrios will compete again this summer as well as Djokovic and we hope to see Andy Murray and Emma Radacanu at the Championship. We will update you next month!
Huge thanks to Wimbledon for the information and videos in this article.
