This year’s Wimbledon singles finals between Amanda Anisimova and Iga Swiatek, and Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, will begin at 4pm after the start time was delayed by two hours. The women’s and men’s championship matches traditionally took place at 2pm on Saturday and Sunday, but organisers have revamped the schedule for this year’s tournament.
The doubles finals – which used to be played after the singles matches and trophy presentations had concluded – will now start at 1pm. All England Club CEO Sally Bolton said the decision was made to attract the “largest possible worldwide audience.”
When the decision was made last October, Bolton added: “We have adjusted the provisional schedule for the final weekend of The Championships with the ambition of improving the experience for all involved.
“The doubles players competing in the finals will have increased certainty over their schedule and fans will enjoy each day’s play as it builds towards the crescendo of the ladies’ and gentlemen’s singles finals, with our champions being crowned in front of the largest possible worldwide audience.”
BBC bosses will be hoping the delayed start time will lead to a boost in viewing figures after a significant drop-off in 2024.
Last year, Barbora Krejcikova’s victory over Jasmine Paolini drew in 400,000 fewer viewers than the 2023 women’s singles final.
TV viewing figures for the 2024 finals suffered a significant drop-off compared to the year before. At its peak, Barbora Krejcikova’s victory over Jasmine Paolini drew 400,000 fewer viewers than the 2023 championship match, won by Marketa Vondrousova.
Last year’s men’s final saw Carlos Alcaraz breeze past Novak Djokovic in straight sets to retain his title. But 3.8million more people tuned in to see Alcaraz outlast Djokovic the year before.
The delayed start time could cause carnage if the best-of-five set men’s final were to go long. At the recent French Open, Alcaraz saved three championship points to beat Jannik Sinner in a five-hour and 29-minute final. And the pair will meet again in Sunday’s championship match.
At the All England Club, organisers risk having to pause play to close the roof and turn on the floodlights if the match continues late into the evening.
But Bolton said: “We spent a lot of time considering the data and information in front of us from history and length of matches.”
In an extreme scenario, there is also the small matter of the 11pm curfew to worry about.