All sounds pretty positive, first round losers in the main draw get £45k now. Doubles winners up to over £500k. Outside play starts at 11am instead of 11:30am. Hawkeye on more courts. Grounds capacity up by 3k.

The Roof Court 1 exho has been marvelous fun so far! And how nice to see green, green grass on the tv again.

I know it all may have been for a good cause but I think it was all about Wimbledon wanting to make a fuss. Surely there is enough wealthy members of the AELTC that could give thousands to charity if they so choose without having to spend licence fee payers money just to show case some god awful roof - well that's how it looks from the air IMHO. Glad I was at our clubs Open Afternoon.

goldfish wrote:

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I thought I heard the commentators say at one point that they had to put on something to prove everything worked for safety regulations. Guess it didn't have to be such a major event but obviously a lot of people were happy to pay £110 for a ticket.

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 Yes I'm fairly sure that's right.

There were more alterations than just a roof - more seating for an example. And Spurs had to hold several events in the build up to getting a full license.

A131 wrote:

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the addict wrote:

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There were more alterations than just a roof - more seating for an example. And Spurs had to hold several events in the build up to getting a full license.

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 Ah well I stand corrected - but still can't believe it warranted TV cameras.

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 Maybe it didn't, but I have two elderly aunties who love tennis, are not mobile and are restricted to terrestrial TV.  They loved it.  Very little tennis gets covered outside of subscription channels, the players were generally old favourites and they saw it as a treat.  Personally I don't think we should be complaining about any coverage tennis gets on mainline TV, even if it is an artificial exhibition staged to test the air conditioning and for a health and safety certificate!!  

And I imagine plenty of people who have been regularly unlucky in the ballot were happy to pay their £110 to have a 'Wimbledon' experience.  And whilst I accept that most members could give £110 to charity (and how do we know what they give?) what is the problem with using an event which has to be held to raise even more?

News from Wimbledon today that Middle Sunday will become a permanent fixture from next year.

Not much detail around it but a suggestion about it becoming a different experience to that of other days so perhaps aimed at the less corporate and the more mainstream fan. This will mean a change to Manic Monday which will be a shame in some ways as that is generally my favourite day of the fortnight as there are so many good matches.

The update didnt give away much else other than they are holding back on ticket sales until the last possible moment to get capacity as high as they can within the rules. Obviously with the tournament taking place from 28th June, this is only a week after the potential relaxations on the 21st so continuing to be difficult to plan. I think ticket sales will end up being online so if anyone wants to go, might be worth keeping an eye out.