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Sallydaisy
22-03-2013, 11:46
Good news for tennis fans!!!
:wimbrolly:

When No 1 Court was newly built it was designed so that a roof could be added at a later date if required and a lot of the infrastructure is already in place. So, it's likely to be a less disruptive exercise than that needed to install the Centre Court roof which has proved to be a successful addition so far.

The following extract is from today's Times (http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/sport/tennis/article3720318.ece):


Wimbledon is to get a second roof, with plans in place to keep the rain off No 1 Court from 2015, reports suggested last night. Should the development go ahead, a second roof would guarantee more televised night matches on the 11,500-capacity court.

A retractable roof was added to Centre Court after a huge and costly construction exercise that was completed in 2009, but it is thought that the time and money needed to do the same on No 1 Court would be considerably less.

The plans are reported to be part of a wider “Wimbledon 2020” scheme and it is believed that the All England Club have already decided to make them a priority. Other improvements would be made to the area behind the royal box, the practice facilities and the indoor court complex.

The first full match to be played with the Centre Court roof closed was a fourth-round match between Andy Murray and Stanislas Wawrinka in 2009, which finished at 10.38pm.

They're not very accurate with their comment about the night matches.
Tennis fans know, sadly, that Wimbledon doesn't PLAN night match sessions. The roof facility is there in the event of rain and to ensure tha matches already started can continue if the light starts to fade and must anyway stop play on the dot of 23.00 to comply with local bye-laws.

The Australian Open has 2 courts with retractable roof and a 3rd is being added.
The USO and FO have both looked at the possibility of adding rooves to their show courts but there are logistical and construction issues hampering both which may prevent them achieving court coverage.

Alis
22-03-2013, 11:48
Great news though!

themass15
22-03-2013, 12:11
That's great news and something to look forward to

Linda
22-03-2013, 12:24
Good news provided it's not a step on the way to having separate night sessions!

Caro
22-03-2013, 13:14
...... and I will always be able to say that I was there for that first full match under the centre court roof. The atmosphere was one of the best I have experienced. It was so exciting that even though we knew we would not be able to get home, me and my friend stayed till the end.

We ended up phoning my friend's daughter and very sheepishly asking her to pick us up from the only station we could get to that was remotely in the right direction!! Got home at 4.30am the next day!! One of my best tennis memories :big grin:

david1610
22-03-2013, 15:24
Good news for tennis fans!!!
:wimbrolly:

The Australian Open has 2 courts with retractable roof and a 3rd is being added.
The USO and FO have both looked at the possibility of adding rooves to their show courts but there are logistical and construction issues hampering both which may prevent them achieving court coverage.
Putting a roof on Armstrong court would be a challenge and a half!

themass15
22-03-2013, 15:35
According to the BBC website Wimbledon has not yet decided about the roof for No. 1 Court. Caro, I got on to Centre in fantastic seats for the last two sets of that match. Simply amazing atmosphere. All of my best experiences, apart from the Federer - Nadal match (yes, I was lucky enough to be there) have been under the roof.

supergran
22-03-2013, 15:43
...... and I will always be able to say that I was there for that first full match under the centre court roof. The atmosphere was one of the best I have experienced. It was so exciting that even though we knew we would not be able to get home, me and my friend stayed till the end.

We ended up phoning my friend's daughter and very sheepishly asking her to pick us up from the only station we could get to that was remotely in the right direction!! Got home at 4.30am the next day!! One of my best tennis memories :big grin:O remember that so well! Shouting my head off for Andy in my debenture seat. If anyone remembers my blog....... What a wonderful experience we had. Thank goodness I only had to get a taxi to my very posh b&b and didn't have the nightmare journey you had though I suppose you were so excited that it wasn't too bad! Fantastic memory for me as well.:big grin:

cazza99
22-03-2013, 19:00
Mail (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/tennis/article-2297252/Wimbledon-Court-No-1-roof.html) - EXCLUSIVE: Now Wimbledon prepares to put roof above Court No 1