LONDON — The Wimbledon experience is anchored in tradition.
The players wearing all white, the reigning men’s champion opening play on Monday, the strawberries and cream and camping out for tickets in the “queue” … all time-honored experiences. Then there are the other staples: The crowd applauding politely whenever the umpire tells someone to switch off their phone, and that inevitable comedian trying to raise a laugh by shouting “Come on Tim!”, the popular chant among fans that’s endured more than a decade.
This year’s Wimbledon has all the trademarks of the 154-year-old tournament: the white, green and purple flowers and the familiarity of the whole experience.
“It’s just the attention to detail in every single aspect that this place has,” Emma Raducanu said pre-tournament. “I mean, from the flowers to everything. They have, like, subtle hints of tennis racquets and tennis balls in the carpets. The level they go to to make sure this place is pretty much perfect. It’s pretty outstanding.”
Ons Jabeur said Wimbledon feels like “a wedding, everybody in white, or a beach party.”
John Isner also loves it here: “You know, they do an amazing job of manicuring the grounds, and every little flower that’s cut is just done to perfection. It’s a really cool thing. Even if you are not a tennis fan, this is something that should be on your bucket list to see if you are a sports fan. It’s amazing here.”
But in an age where traditions shift, Wimbledon is slowly letting some become consigned to history. Some involve changes to the tournament, while others are subtle tweaks. Does this mean Wimbledon is slowly letting go of some of its unique characteristics? Perhaps not, but behind the scenes, Wimbledon is changing.
No more ‘Middle Sunday’ break
The middle Sunday of the previous 13-day tournament used to be empty to either provide players a valuable rest day, or to allow the schedule to catch up if there were rain delays. This was used on four occasions: in 1991, 1997, 2004 and 2016.
But the decision to scrap the rest day was made back in April 2021, which brings it in line with all three other Grand Slams and makes it a 14-day event. There are obviously commercial benefits for the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club by having one extra day’s play, and the call was also welcomed by Novak Djokovic.
“All the other Grand Slams are playing in mid Sunday,” Djokovic said. “I’m glad that Wimbledon has introduced that, as well. I’m in favor of that rule change. I like…
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