If this is supposed to get kids involved, and more excited by tennis, then seeing their fave football player, or athlete, or whoever, getting excited by tennis, and playing pat ball with the kids and Andy, etc. etc. will all be to the good. Good for tennis to be more inclusive.
I'd like to see half the ground passes available online and the other half via the queue. Hoping I get my grubby mitts on some returns in 2022. Quite like the Mixed final being on the Thursday although a shame they don;t have the court space to start it on the 1st day and play the final on the middle sunday. There's a real push for mixed events in lots of sports so hoping mixed doubles benefits from a higher profile particularly as a trailblazer.
Yeah if I cant get tickets online Im not queueing. Ive done it several when younger. But I want to watch tennis not enjoy an experience of a queue! Its the main reason apart from this year when I got some tickets I normally only go to
Qualifying.
Yeah if I cant get tickets online Im not queueing. Ive done it several when younger. But I want to watch tennis not enjoy an experience of a queue! Its the main reason apart from this year when I got some tickets I normally only go to Qualifying.
This year was amazing, I'm never going to get tickets like that again. managed to ge 4 tix over 3 days
Notable: the Mixed Doubles competition will be a 32-draw size with the final scheduled to take place on the second Thursday.
That's 32 as opposed to 64?
So mixed doubles is becoming even more of a little add-on?
Thanks for the link, fw.
My views are:
LOVE the fact they've introduced play on the middle Sunday - well overdue - the tournament often loses all momentum as it is at the moment, and makes it really inaccessbile for lots who work and can only see proper live wimbledon at the weekend.
LOVE the idea of a U14 junior championship - I'm sure this is so Hannah Klugman can win (Do hope there's not huge pressure on the kids, at this age, making them now Grand Slam winners/failures, but that's rather the nature of the beast)
MIXED views about the MIXED. It's true it's a bit of a soft, daft sort of tennis. But so many people play mixed, it makes the grand slams different, spectators like it, AND it gives us tons of wildcard opportunities - that's going to be a big source of participation taken away from our players (although some would say, well, if they're only there as part of the entr'acte entertainment, it hardly matters)
I agree with all the sentiments. I like the middle Sunday idea, the manic monday approach of all the last 16 matches always flattered to deceive; it always felt like it should be incredible but in reality never really produced epic matches and there was almost too much going on. So splitting the last 16 works better for me.
Re U14's, great - wonder if the other slams will follow suit and how big will that draw be, 64? and just singles?
Re Mixed - I am happy with 32; I actually believe mixed could and should be taken more seriously but to do that requires a change of approach from the authorities - make the event mean something in the context of a season, maybe a mixed ranking or some sort of year end event based on SLam results (obvious as that is where it is played), change the entry approach so it is more formal and structured to pre entries and not on site scrabbling around, boost the money as a consequence and get the ATP and WTA to work on publicising it together...the Thursday final I like; womens singles semis can be good or sometimes really dire and having it as part of that ticket package gives that day substance I believe...
How do they decide entry for 14U events? There is no ranking below the itf u18 rankings right? Id love to see a bit of that event imagine what age Laura Robson or Martina Hingis might have been won it at lol! I do feel a bit concerned it might put a lot of pressure on some very young kids doing well given how many who do well at that age get nowhere as adults so I hope there are strategies to help protect from this. Having said that imagine how exciting it would be to have say an 11year old Brit win that then watch them progress and do well at 18u and main draw etc!