The All England Lawn Tennis Club today announced plans for the 135th staging of The Championships, including the celebration of the centenary of Centre Court in its current home, and looking ahead to the next 100 years of the event.
Ian Hewitt, Chairman of the All England Club, commented: “Following two pandemic-affected years, we are pleased to be planning for a special Wimbledon, as we celebrate the centenary of our move from Worple Road to our present location at Church Road, and the opening of Centre Court here. This stadium has witnessed not just epic matches, but many changes in the world around us and in society. This year provides an opportunity for reflection on the past, but also to envisage what is to come in the next 100 years.”
Middle Sunday (Sunday 3 July) will not only feature as a permanent part of the tournament schedule for the first time, but will also be the focal point for the Centre Court Centenary celebrations, with a special moment planned between the second and third matches. It will also be a day for the local community, with tickets distributed to local residents, schools, charities and community groups.
In addition, the All England Club will be marking two other special occasions at The Championships: Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, for which we are working with the World Platinum Investment Council to create two bespoke platinum coins to be used for the Finals Weekend coin tosses; and 100 years of the BBC, with whom our relationship began 95 years ago.
The All England Club also commented further on the exceedingly difficult decision to decline entries from Russian and Belarusian players to this year’s Championships.
Hewitt commented: “We believe this is an extreme and exceptional situation that takes us far beyond the interests of tennis alone. Russia’s ongoing invasion and the catastrophic harm to millions of lives taking place in Ukraine has been condemned worldwide by over 140 nations. Government, industry, sport and creative institutions are all playing their part in efforts to limit Russia’s global influence including any benefit from trade, cultural or sporting shows of strength.
“As part of that response, the UK Government has set out directional guidance for sporting bodies and events in the UK, with the specific aim of limiting Russia’s influence. We have taken that directional guidance into account, as we must as a high-profile event and leading British institution. For clarity, it does not allow for automatic entry to Wimbledon based on rankings alone.
“After careful consideration against a variety of factors, we came to two firm conclusions that have formed the basis for our decision. First, even if we were to accept entries from Russian and Belarusian players with written declarations, we would risk their success or participation at Wimbledon being used to benefit the propaganda machine of the Russian regime - which we could not accept. Second, we have a duty to ensure that no actions we take should put the safety or welfare of players, or their families, at risk.
“We understand and deeply regret the impact this decision will have on every individual affected - and so many innocent people are suffering as a result of this terrible war. But, bound to act, we believe we have made the most responsible decision possible in the circumstances, and there is no viable alternative within the framework of the Government’s position to the decision we have taken in this truly exceptional and tragic situation.”
The Championships: Updates for 2022
We are pleased to advise the following arrangements for this year:
Events and Schedule
With the introduction of play on Middle Sunday, the fourth round singles schedule will be split over Sunday and Monday. The second Tuesday and Wednesday will feature a combination of Ladies’ and Gentlemen’s Quarter-Finals on both days. The Mixed Doubles Final will be scheduled as the concluding match on the second Thursday, with Finals Weekend featuring the Ladies’ Singles Final and Gentlemen’s Doubles Final on Saturday, and the Gentlemen’s Singles Final and Ladies’ Doubles Final on Sunday.
The Quad Wheelchair draws have been doubled, to eight singles and four doubles. The Invitation Doubles events will return with Ladies’ and Gentlemen’s Doubles draws and with the addition of a Mixed Doubles competition. Our Junior Championships expands this year with the addition of the 14 and under draw alongside the existing 18 and under draw, to give the world’s best juniors the opportunity to compete on grass at an earlier age.
A final set tie-break, with the first to 10 points with a two-point advantage at 6-all in the final set will be introduced this year, achieving consistency with the other Grand Slams.
'The Stage Awaits’ – celebrating the Centre Court centenary and looking to the future
Our campaign for The Championships 2022 – with the theme ‘The Stage Awaits’ coupled with a centenary logo – will launch in the week following Roland-Garros and will drive anticipation for this year’s Championships by imagining what the next 100 years of Centre Court might bring.
To coincide with the milestone, the Centre Court bowl has received a refresh, with a new central entrance for the players walking on court.
The umpire’s chair has been redesigned and will be in situ on Centre Court and No.1 Court this year, before expanding to all courts in 2023. The umpires and linespeople will be dressed in new uniforms, delivered in partnership with Ralph Lauren, official outfitter of The Championships.
The Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum has refurbished elements of its displays and will feature a special exhibition on Centre Court called 100 Years of Change, in addition to a new interactive gallery exploring the Open Era of tennis.
Championships Operations
Gates will open at 10am. Play on the outside courts will commence at 11am, with staggered start times for No.1 Court (1pm) and Centre Court (1.30pm) retained from last year, with the exception of Finals Weekend when play on Centre Court will commence at 2pm.
Ticketing
The Grounds capacity will be up to 42,000 each day. After two years, The Queue will return for spectators wishing to buy tickets on the day, as will Ticket Resale, for those wishing to purchase returned Centre Court, No.1 Court and No.2 Court tickets, in return for a donation to the Wimbledon Foundation. Following its introduction last year, enhanced mobile ticketing will continue, with all tickets distributed via the official Wimbledon mobile apps on iOS and Android. Tickets for the Qualifying Competition will be on sale from June at £10 each, with proceeds donated to the Wimbledon Foundation.
Initiatives and Partnerships
As part of our ongoing commitment to be Environment Positive by 2030, we have re-committed to the enhanced UN Sport for Climate Action Framework and will be encouraging our guests to think ‘environment positive every day’ at The Championships. This year will see the introduction of a reusable cup for hot drinks, following the successful reusable cup for cold drinks in 2021.
In partnership with the LTA, we have re-launched our mass participation event as Play Your Way to Wimbledon, powered by Vodafone, in our new partner’s first year as Official Connectivity Partner of The Championships.
‘Wimbledon at Home’ will return, with an enhanced offering of ways for fans around the world who cannot attend The Championships in person, including the Virtual Hill with American Express, and also Breakpoint, our mobile game.
From a content and fan engagement perspective, Wimbledon.com will feature enhanced personalisation and insights in partnership with IBM, we will be adding new episodes to our Wimbledon Kids offering on YouTube Kids, and are also exploring a variety of Web 3.0 activations. Further details on all the ways to engage with Wimbledon this year will be announced in June.
During Finals Weekend, we will bring the Hill to New York, with a special activation event taking place in Brooklyn Bridge Park in partnership with ESPN and official partners of The Championships.
Wimbledon Foundation
This year the Wimbledon Foundation invited residents of the local boroughs to nominate an inspirational young person to perform the pre-match coin toss at this year’s Ladies’ and Gentlemen’s Singles Finals. Children must be aged between 10 and 14 years old, reside in the boroughs of Merton or Wandsworth, and we look forward to announcing the successful nominees in June.
The Foundation has also been active in supporting the Ukraine crisis response. A donation of £100,000 was made to the British Red Cross Ukraine Crisis Appeal; £50,000 to the DEC’s Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal; and locally, £20,000 to Association for Polish Family, an existing charity partner, who have been collecting essentials to support the tens of thousands of Ukrainians crossing the Polish border.
The Championships: Looking to the Future
Investing for the future remains a key priority for the All England Club. From a development perspective, our twin aims continue to focus on enhancing the experience of The Championships for our stakeholders and providing benefit to our local community.
The AELTC Wimbledon Park Project
One of the most important elements in shaping our future is the AELTC Wimbledon Park Project, for which we submitted our planning application last summer and anticipate a Planning Committee date to be confirmed in the coming weeks.
Commitment to our local community is one of our primary objectives for this project, and benefits for them are integral to our plans. These include a new 9.4 hectare publicly accessible park; desilting the Wimbledon Park Lake for its survival and enjoyment for future generations; constructing a new perimeter boardwalk around the Lake; nature trails alongside many other environmental and social benefits; and the extension of our community tennis programmes to provide access to the grass courts for the local community. In recent months, we have continued to engage with the local community, hosting Community Open Days and walks around the golf course with experts to learn more about the landscape.
The second of our ambitions is to maintain our position as one of the finest sporting venues in the world, securing our future for the next 100 years and allowing us to maximise our financial support for the LTA to benefit tennis in the UK and the grass court season. Central to the proposals are bringing the Qualifying Competition on site, improving practice facilities for competitors, opening a quality new Show Court, and enhancing the experience for spectators at the event.
Enhancing our existing venues for The Championships and year-round use
Our community sport facilities are rapidly growing, with more than 7,000 members signed up to our Community Tennis Centre in Raynes Park, and Wimbledon Qualifying and Community Sports Centre in Roehampton. We are currently undertaking the third and final phase of improvement works at the Raynes Park site, which will include a junior ‘play tennis’ area and a two-storey Clubhouse that will be open for community use.
The AELTC Indoor Tennis Centre situated on Somerset Road has been completed and will play a critical role during this year’s event as the players’ wet weather practice facility and hub for our Championships transport operation. Year round, the facility will provide six indoor and six outdoor courts for Members and their guests.
The Media Pavilion, which will house our new interview rooms, is halfway through its construction timeframe and due to be completed in 2023. This will enable us to begin refurbishing the Millennium Building, which is now 22 years old and in need of enhancement. The aim of this project will be to modernise the interior of the building to enable significantly improved facilities for players, media and Members.
Key Dates: The 135th Championships
• Wednesday 15 June: Further updates on The Championships including wild cards
• Monday 20 - Thursday 23 June: Qualifying Competition, Wimbledon Qualifying and Community Sports Centre, Roehampton
• Wednesday 22 June: Seeds announced
• Friday 24 June: 10am, Official Draw
• Saturday 25 June and Sunday 26 June: Player Media Availabilities (players and times TBC)
• Monday 27 June - Sunday 10 July: The Championships 2022