British Tennis Forum - Celebrating 20 Years!

Vhughes · Junior player

Weeks 26 & 27 - The Championships, Wimbledon (grass) - main draw (singles)

emmsie69 · Masters Series Champion

Vhughes wrote:
Why do they put all of Novaks matches on Centre (I think) whilst Sinner plays on centre and one?

Honestly I'm no fan of Djokovic and I do like Sinner but I got to watch both on Monday and Djokovic is way more entertaining.

christ · Challenger qualifying

Mr Sinner will likely be on Center when he has twenty more Grand Slam titles.

... assuming that he doesn't take up English nationality by then, as this will condemn him to Court 18.

indiana · Tennis legend

emmsie69 wrote:
Vhughes wrote:
Why do they put all of Novaks matches on Centre (I think) whilst Sinner plays on centre and one?
Honestly I'm no fan of Djokovic and I do like Sinner but I got to watch both on Monday and Djokovic is way more entertaining.

I don't like him but he's the GOAT and still about the most interesting top player out there. I have no real problem with him commandeering Centre Court for now.

indiana · Tennis legend

christ wrote:
Mr Sinner will likely be on Center when he has twenty more Grand Slam titles.

... assuming that he doesn't take up English nationality by then, as this will condemn him to Court 18.

I can't see him requesting Court 18 like Arthur did Yes, Mr Sinner has a bit to go before taking up residence.

Helen40 · Grand Slam Champion

Vhughes wrote:
Why do they put all of Novaks matches on Centre (I think) whilst Sinner plays on centre and one?

To be fair, today his opponent makes it a more interesting match for me.

indiana · Tennis legend

Helen40 wrote:
Vhughes wrote:
Why do they put all of Novaks matches on Centre (I think) whilst Sinner plays on centre and one?
To be fair, today his opponent makes it a more interesting match for me.

C'mon Felix!! Seems to have crept up to WR 4 without me really noticing, though tbf I guess at the head of a bit of queue miles behind the top 3.

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

christ wrote:
Mr Sinner will likely be on Center when he has twenty more Grand Slam titles.

"Center", Chris? Shame on you!

telstar · Club Coach

What a nonsense it is that Zverev vs Lehecka didn't finish last night. If it goes to 5 the winner will have every right to feel aggrieved at having to play on three successive days. The scheduling at Queens and Nottingham this year was appalling. At least the rain was a reasonable excuse for Queen's. Whoever schedules Wimbledon does not have that excuse. On Sunday Coco Gauff finished in the last minute before the 11 pm deadline. Yesterday there was very little chance of Lehecka-Zverev finishing. Why not start Centre and Ct 1 schedules including 2 mens and 1 womens matches at 12.30 pm?

-- Edited by telstar on Tuesday 7th of July 2026 04:02:16 PM

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

telstar wrote:
What a nonsense it is that Zverev vs Lehecka didn't finish last night. If it goes to 5 the winner will have every right to feel aggrieved at having to play on three successive days. The scheduling at Queens and Nottingham this year was appalling. At least the rain was a reasonable excuse for Queen's. Whoever schedules Wimbledon does not have that excuse. On Sunday Coco Gauff finished in the last minute before the 11 pm deadline. Yesterday there was very little chance of Lehecka-Zverev finishing. Why not start Centre and Ct 1 schedules including 2 mens and 1 womens matches at 12.30 pm?

A question addressed by Willis Bennett in today's Times Tennis e-mail:

Today is the second Tuesday of the Wimbledon fortnight, and so the quarter-final line-up is complete.

Except, it isn't.

Alexander Zverev and Jiri Lehecka were locked in battle last night as the Wimbledon curfew - which is in place in agreement with the local council of Merton - hit. Zverev, the French Open champion, was two sets to the good but on the ropes a little as the clock ticked towards 11pm. The Czech had two break points in the third set, which he failed to take. They will come back today at 3-3 in the third to complete their fourth-round match. Andy Murray had to accept similar circumstances in 2023 when his second-round match against Stefanos Tsitsipas was suspended at 10.40pm. Novak Djokovic did too.

The suspension yesterday was caused because the first two matches on Centre Court, Jasmine Paolini against Alexandra Eala and Arthur Fery versus Grigor Dimitrov, went the distance, lasting 2hr 22min and 3hr 55min respectively. Matches are increasingly lasting longer as the speed of the surface slows - resulting in longer rallies - and as players' endurance improves. All of this led to Zverev-Lehecka starting at about 8.50pm.

Play on Centre Court begins at 1.30pm, with action on No1 Court beginning at 1pm. In 2021 organisers pushed back the Centre Court action by 30 minutes. Wimbledon organisers set those start times for a few reasons. They say it allows visitors, including those who have a lunch as part of their package, to enjoy play on the outside courts before the action on the show courts begins. It also allows those who live outside London to attend without unreasonable starts to their day. (Although Test cricket, for example, begins at 11am without much trouble.) Plus, Wimbledon organisers pride themselves on the fact that play almost always begins with all ticket-holders in position.

All of this said, it is a shame - for both players (whose recovery is impacted) and spectators (who no doubt would prefer to watch three full matches) - that the schedule does not always get completed. The later start time of 1.30pm increases the likelihood that the BBC has gripping tennis to broadcast to the world on prime-time evening TV. Unlike the French Open, for example, Wimbledon does not have day and night sessions, which makes it difficult for the All England Club to judge at which time the third and final match of the day will start and end.

Tickets for Centre Court yesterday cost between £155 and £220, according to the Wimbledon website. One assumes that those in attendance would have preferred to watch three tennis matches in their entirety.

emmsie69 · Masters Series Champion

As frustrating as it is not seeing a match completed, I'd far rather watch those matches than be on a court where all the matches are finished by 7, particularly at those prices.

indiana · Tennis legend

emmsie69 wrote:
As frustrating as it is not seeing a match completed, I'd far rather watch those matches than be on a court where all the matches are finished by 7, particularly at those prices.

Indeed, 2 full competitive matches and the unfinished one from 1.30 pm to 11 pm.

telstar · Club Coach

emmsie69 wrote:
As frustrating as it is not seeing a match completed, I'd far rather watch those matches than be on a court where all the matches are finished by 7, particularly at those prices.

Yes but if play started at 12.30 pm (rather than 1.30 pm) then the players would be happier in that their match wuld be more likely not to go on to the following day and spectators would be happier to see three completed matches.

christ · Challenger qualifying

Stircrazy wrote:
christ wrote:
Mr Sinner will likely be on Center when he has twenty more Grand Slam titles.
"Center", Chris? Shame on you!

Oops. Mea Culpa. Fourteen "Hail Mary"s and 500 lines later, I may hope to redeem myself.

Vhughes · Junior player

christ wrote:
Mr Sinner will likely be on Center when he has twenty more Grand Slam titles.

... assuming that he doesn't take up English nationality by then, as this will condemn him to Court 18.

I dont agree! The scheduling should make it fair for all players, Sinner is no 1 at the moment and so should have some advantages although Im sure hed never complain. He is just always so unassuming.