Djokovic Supports Wimbledon Change

By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Monday, July 10, 2023

Wimbledon—Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic reveres the match’s traditions, however advocates two key modifications for The Championships.

Djokovic, whose match towards Hubert Hurkacz started final night time earlier than the Wimbledon curfew prompted the suspension of play, stated it is time for the grass-court Grand Slam to make a time change.

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The seven-time champion who hasn’t misplaced a Centre Court match in a decade advocates Wimbledon transfer its Centre Court begin time from its conventional 1:30 p.m. begin to a midday begin time to forestall late Centre Court matches from being carried over to the subsequent day as a result of curfew.

“I agree with that,” Djokovic replied when requested if it is time to alter the normal schedule. “Obviously curfew is probably something that is much more difficult to change, I understand, because of the community and the residential area we are in.

“I feel the matches could possibly be pushed not less than to start out at 12. I feel it could make a distinction.”

The US Open typically starts play at 11 a.m.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnmSBMbz_8w

A noon Wimbledon start may well have enabled Djokovic to finish his four-set win over Hurkacz on Sunday rather than continue play over two days.

“It’s tennis. That’s the unpredictability of tennis in a method,” Djokovic said of the schedule. “You need to be prepared for each situations. When I noticed the matches that have been performed earlier than me yesterday with Rublev-Bublik, and Swiatek-Bencic, I believed these matches could possibly be lengthy matches. But you do not know that.

“You can only predict. It’s never a guarantee. Yeah, it’s tricky, especially if there is a lot of players and a lot of stuff, members of the respective players’ teams, and they all occupy spaces for rest. It’s not easy to find a corner where you can just be by yourself. That’s okay. In the end of the day, it is what it is. You have to adapt. It’s not the first, probably neither the last, time that I get to experience these type of particular circumstances.”

The second change Djokovic helps reverts again to a time-honored custom. For years, Wimbledon didn’t enable in depth apply on Centre Court earlier than The Championships.

That modified after a number of gamers fell on Centre Court and complained the grass was too slick. Last 12 months, The Championships permitted just a few gamers to apply on Centre Court earlier than the match started to attempt to break within the grass and scale back the slick spots. 

Consequently, Djokovic says the grass wears out sooner. Citing the “sensitive surface”, Djokovic says no pre-tournament apply on Centre Court will protect the garden for the match.

“Wimbledon has been so attached, I would say connected, with its tradition and history in not changing certain things, which I respect a lot. I think they’re wonderful things to keep with history, like the defending champion going out on the first day,” Djokovic stated. “Even though it was nice for us to get a chance in the last couple of years to practice on the Centre Court before the tournament starts, I have to say I’m not a fan of that. I would rather have no practice at all on the Centre Court before the tournament starts. I think that would help the court.

“It is also essentially the most delicate floor we have now within the sport. So you possibly can really feel the grass carrying out even after few apply classes already, getting the beating from the sliding and operating and so forth.”

Photo credit score: Rob Newell/CameraSport