The Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis Club take place over a fortnight, at the end of June and beginning of July. The middle Sunday is traditionally a rest day – although, on very rare occasions in the past, there has been play on this day.
On the opening Monday at 2.00pm, the Men’s Champion will walk onto the hallowed Centre Court to launch the defence of his crown.
As tradition dictates, 24 hours later on the first Tuesday, the Ladies' Champion will return to Centre Court to begin the defence of her Wimbledon title.
The All England Club grounds are open daily from 10.30am until one hour after close of play. Play is scheduled to start on Centre and No.1 Courts at 1.00pm for the first eleven days and 2.00pm on Finals days. On all other courts the start of play will be at midday for at least the first eight days and 11.00am for Junior matches in the second week.
Match schedule
During the first week, the early rounds of the Men’s and Ladies’ Singles, Men’s, Ladies’ and Mixed Doubles will be played on all courts, with top seeds’ matches played on the show courts. On the middle Saturday the Veteran and Junior events commence and will be played on the outside courts as well as on some of the show courts.
In the second week, the latter stages of each competition begin. The tournament reaches its climax on Finals weekend, with the Ladies’ Singles Final scheduled for the Saturday and the Men’s Singles Final scheduled for the Sunday.
Timings of matches for each day are prepared in draft the previous evening by the Referee and submitted to the Order of Play committee for approval or amendment. Every effort is made to have highly anticipated matches played on the courts with the most spectators, and care is taken to give seeded players their ‘fair share’ of the show courts.
Show courts
Centre Court: In 2009, as part of a multi-million pound redevelopment project, this ivy-clad structure housing the most famous court in tennis has an increased capacity of 15,000, wider seats for greater comfort and a retractable roof guaranteeing play every day. Once described as having the 'gift of silence', this arena is unique in its ability to hush a passionate crowd and Centre Court tickets are among the most sought-after in the world of sport. Traditions, such as bowing to the Royal Box, have helped steep the place in history, although bowing is no longer mandatory.
Court No. 1: The purpose-built bowl of a stadium sunk into a hillside replaced the old Court No. 1 at the turn of the century, and has a capacity of 11,500. One of its main advantages is that spectators are afforded an unobstructed view from all areas. The four-storey structure incorporates restaurants and shops, and the adjacent large screen viewing area - immortalised as 'Henman Hill' - allows those fans without show court tickets to gather in support of their favourite players.
Court No. 2: Previously known as 'The Graveyard of Champions' due to a series of shock results for top stars down the years, a brand new Court No. 2 has been built and will be open for play at the 2009 Championships. The arena is akin to a gladiators' pit: its shape is a perfect round bowl and its playing surface is 3.5 metres below ground. With a capacity of just 4,000 seats, this is the most intimate of the show courts and fans fortunate enough to get tickets will see the stars do battle up close and personal.
Official Wimbledon tickets
You will be supplied with official reserved tickets as part of your tour. Sportsworld’s official status means that all our tickets have excellent views of the action guaranteed. We provide a choice of Centre, No. 1 and No. 2 Court tickets within the tours.
Our Centre Court seats are typically in Rows N–P.
No. 1 Court seats are usually in rows G–P.
No. 2 Court seats start from the 3rd row.
Your reserved ticket affords you access to your seat all day, as well as entry to
all the ‘outside’ Courts 3-19.