Wimbledon Players Want Roof-Use Rules Clarified

Written by: Staff on 2nd July 2012

Wimbledon Players Want Roof-Use Rules Clarified |

Players are demanding clarification of the All England Club’s deployment of the £100 million retractable roof over Centre Court after night play has effectively come into being on three successive evenings without the weather playing a part.

On Thursday, before Rafael Nadal’s dramatic exit to Lukas Rosol, the roof was closed after the end of the fourth set to ensure a finish. Ultimately the Czech reappeared after a 30 minute break in the locker room to blast away the two-times champion 6?7, 6?4, 6?4, 2?6, 6?4 and Nadal said: “For sure wasn’t the best decision for me. But that’s what it is and I accept. I am very, very disappointed. Sure, I not very happy.”

Nadal had the momentum of the match after winning the fourth set, admitted to being surprised at being told the roof would close and was insistent he had not been briefed beforehand that the roof would be close because of light issues and the chance to finish the match. He said: “My feeling was it is completely new stadium with new roof, so the normal thing is cover the roof in five or ten minutes. That was my thought. So it was big surprise for me when they told me they need 30 to 45 minutes. “

Then on Friday, just before 1pm when the London Weather Center informed Wimbledon of a 70% chance of rain that ultimately didn’t materialize. However winds picked up and were thought likely to reach speeds of over 40mph when there is the potential for the roof structure to grind to a halt. To avoid that embarrassment, it was thought best to keep the roof closed all day.

Even Federer, the staunchest of All England Club supporters, was slightly critical. “I would hope in future that the roof would stay open if it wasn’t raining, which it wasn’t. There were a lot of gusty winds outside and there was sunshine.

“Shutting the roof created a completely different atmosphere. They expected showers, but they didn’t arrive. I do hope we stay with an outdoor Wimbledon. I know that’s the goal of the organizers. But, sometimes, you have a mix-up.”

Richard Lewis, the All England Club’s newly appointed chief executive in succession to Ian Ritchie, revealed the atmosphere had been particularly tense in the referee’s office in the past 72 hours with so many elements needing to be taken into consideration.

Lewis was asked if the Centre Court lights could come on without the roof being closed but stressed that Wimbledon would then be into the realms of night play which was not a consideration. But the roof was being closed in poor light rather than for rain and that is not part of the protocol, either.

“The lights themselves attract heat for a start, so you have to have the air management system on to deal with that heat,” he said. “Believe me, it is a complex engineering project.”

The All England Club has a safety certificate from the London Borough of Merton and unless all its articles are adhered to, including the abandonment of play at 11pm (within reason) it could be revoked, which would lead to all sorts of operational dilemmas.