The All England Club confirmed on Thursday that the Wimbledon Championships will now be moved further by one week with its effectivity starting by year 2015. This is following an extensive consultation among the players and officials.
The move will benefit the tennis world by establishing a three week gap between the conclusion of the Roland Garros tournament and the start date of the Wimbledon Championships, thus allowing more time for players to recover and transition from claycourts to grasscourts.
“The best interests of tennis will be served by allowing the players more time to recuperate and to adjust from the clay of Roland Garros to the grass at Wimbledon. All our research indicates that there is widespread support within the game for extending the gap between the French Open and Wimbledon and, importantly, we think most players will welcome the prospect of a longer grass court season and spending more time on the softer surface of grass,” said All England Club Chairman Philip Brook.
“In making this change from 2015 we recognize there will be consequences for the overall tennis calendar and enough time needs to be given to allow us all to plan accordingly. In anticipation of the work required, I would like to thank our colleagues throughout the game for their enthusiasm and support for the vision of a tennis calendar that better suits the needs of the modern day sport,” he added.
By 2015, the Wimbledon Championships will run from June 29 to July 12.
