In 2020, all the major sports events including Tokyo Olympics were either cancelled or postponed owning the global COVID-19 pandemic. While it was a tough year for sports fans, the good news is that fans would be able to enjoy Wimbledon this year.
The 2021 Wimbledon tennis tournament will begin on June 28 and will be concluded on July 11. The qualifying events would be hosted from June 21 to June 24.
As Roland Garros changed the start date, the difference between Wimbledon and the clay-court Grand Slam will be two weeks.
What changes have been made?
A lot of changes have been made ahead of the 2021 tennis event and here are the most prominent ones –
- The players, their teams, and all the officials will reside at the official hotel and use the transportation provided by them. This is to ensure that they face minimal risk.
- The warm-up session will last for four minutes and will take place after a minute of walking into the court.
- The grounds will be cashless for this event. Also, there would be no queue or invitational doubles event.
- This year, the tickets would be made available via the Wimbledon app. The audience can get tickets for Court No. 1, 2, 3, 12, and 18, the center, and ground passes.
- The main draw and qualifying will both feature the serve clock.
- For the 2021 event, strawberries, cold drinks, and creams will be offered in sustainable containers as a move towards reducing the environmental impact.
- Those who get tickets will also have a chance to visit the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum. A new Andy Murray portrait is on display which is on loan from National Portrait Gallery. In 2022, a new exhibit will be revealed on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Centre Court.
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No queue at the Championships this year
One major thing that won’t be seen at the 2021 Wimbledon is the famous queue. All England Club has already declared and confirmed that no queue will be formed for the 2021 event. Also, no ticket resales will take place on the site.
Over the years, the tents of people queueing up overnight for the tickets had become somewhat of a tradition. However, due to the COVID-19 restrictions, tickets won’t be sold traditionally. Instead, the Wimbledon app would be used for selling and distributing the passes.
Similarly, the number of audiences allowed inside the premises would be lesser than usual. The capacity would depend upon the COVID-19 restrictions prevalent in June and July.
The officials are hoping that the queue and ticket reselling would be back for the 2022 event.
Read about the major sports events that will take place in 2021. This informative site will provide you with a brief.
Wimbledon Updates as of May 19
The official site of Wimbledon stated that the current arrangements remain in compliance with the Stage 3 relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions. However, considering the Stage 4 rules that were reintroduced, they are hoping for an increased audience capacity.
The update further said that the association has taken a flexible approach. The ticket dates would be announced as late as possible to match the restrictions and relaxations at that time. The audience can expect the tickets in mid-June.
Schedule and Structure of the Tournament
The Champions event lasts for 14 days, always starting on a Monday and concluding on a Sunday. Prior to 1982, Wimbledon used to conclude on a Saturday.
The main events are scheduled across both weeks. However, the second week primarily has junior and invitation events. The Sunday that falls in between these two weeks is called the ‘middle Sunday’, which is the rest day. However, on some middle Sundays, matches were held due to the delays caused by rains. On a middle Sunday in 1991, Wimbledon came up with ‘People’s Sunday’ wherein the tickets were made more affordable so people can witness the matches on courts.
The ‘Manic Monday’ which is the second Sunday of the two-week event, is the busiest of all. On a Manic Monday, 16 matches of men’s and women’s singles are played. Fans who get tickets to Manic Monday have a chance to witness 32 of the best players play and compete for finals.
From the year 2022, Middle Sunday would be made a permanent part of the Wimbledon schedule. As it was discussed in the 2021 Spring Press Conference, this change would enable more leeway for those 16 matches of Manic Monday.
Who are the Current Champions?
The current champions are the winners of 2019 Wimbledon.
Novak Djokovic became the winner of Gentlemen’s Singles Grand Slam in 2019 while Roger Federer was the runner up. For Women’s Singles Grand Slam, Simona Halep bagged the title while Serena Williams was runner up.
Gentlemen’s Doubles Grand Slam was dominated by Juan Sebastián Cabal and Robert Farah (Farah’s first title). Whereas, the 2019 Ladies’ Doubles Grand Slam was won by Barbora Strýcová and Su-Wei Hsieh. This is Barbora’s first title. The Mixed Doubles Champions are Latisha Chan and Ivan Dodig.
The Wimbledon Park Development to Commence in 2022
Along with the Wimbledon updates, the AELTC also hoped that the Wimbledon Park site development will commence next year, that is, 2022. AELTC aims to host qualifiers for the main tournament in 2028. Meanwhile, ticket holders can tour the Wimbledon Museum for free.
In 2020, the tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since its inception in 1877, 2020 was the second time when this tournament was canceled (the first time being during WWII).
