For all Wimbledon’s timeless quality, it is also a place of graceful innovation. As of 2022, Middle Sunday is no longer a day for The Championships to pause without any play. Advances in grass technology and maintenance mean the courts no longer require a day of recovery mid-tournament.
Sunday 3 July marks the day when, for the first time, play becomes continuous throughout the entire Fortnight, with the men’s and women’s fourth round matches spread out over Days 7 and 8 – Middle Sunday and the second Monday.
Of course, there has been Middle Sunday play four times before, when opening week deluges meant the day of rest was pressed into action. But from 2022, Middle Sunday at Wimbledon is cast in a new tradition, and spectators revelled in the experience.
At 11am, almost three hours before the scheduled start of play, Ester Guerzoni stood in the stands of a near-deserted Centre Court, gazing about her in wonder. Twenty-four hours earlier the 27-year-old Italian had left home in Milan to fly to London for a one-day visit, with one purpose only.
“This is my very first time at Wimbledon and I knew I wanted to be here for this first time that Sunday is part of the regular playing schedule,” she said in immaculate English. “I arrived yesterday evening and was in the Queue overnight.
“I felt absolutely breathless as I walked through the gates, and as I stand here now. Wimbledon is the Grand Slam, not just one of them. The history of this place and the traditions make it so special – the old traditions and the new ones, like Middle Sunday as it has now become. There is nowhere else like this.”
By contrast, Caroline Stoneman first came to Wimbledon in 1972. After countless visits since, she was here again because she wanted to witness the new Middle Sunday.
“I was 14 and saw Chris Evert the first time she played here,” she remembered. “It was on the old No.1 Court, and she beat Patti Hogan in the quarter-finals. The atmosphere today for this new Middle Sunday feels both marvellously new and yet somehow unchanged, the perfect continuation of everything that makes Wimbledon the greatest tournament in the world.”
Like Ester, Caroline was among a packed crowd who witnessed the Centre Court centenary celebrations before the start of play. This year marks 100 years since the move to the All England Club’s current site on Church Road, and also the centenary of the Centre Court.
A wonderful 30-minute presentation paid homage to this unparalleled cathedral of sport.
Hosted by Sue Barker and three-time champion John McEnroe (“Hello Wimbledon!”), it featured exquisite video montages, a live performance by Freya Ridings at a white piano, Cliff Richard reprising his 1996 acapella singalong rendition of Summer Holiday (with Pam Shriver gamely swaying in the background, just as she did 26 years ago), and a dazzling parade of champions.
It was, as McEnroe put it, “serious goosebump time”.
The crowd rose to (deep breath) Angela Mortimer, Ann Jones, Stan Smith, Jan Kodes, Pat Cash, Conchita Martinez, Martina Hingis, Goran Ivanisevic, Lleyton Hewitt, Marion Bartoli, Angelique Kerber, Simona Halep, Stefan Edberg, Rafael Nadal, Petra Kvitova, Andy Murray, Margaret Court, John Newcombe, McEnroe himself, Chris Evert, Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg, Venus Williams, Billie Jean King, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.
“It’s a privilege to be here on this awesome day,” said McEnroe.
The new Middle Sunday is off to a flyer. Fresh history is being written at Wimbledon 2022.
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Following along from home this year? You can still experience the classic Wimbledon atmosphere on the Virtual Hill, presented by our Official Partner American Express.
