Novak Djokovic says matches at Wimbledon need to start earlier in the day to avoid the risk of being suspended due to a nightly curfew.
The defending men’s champion defeated Andrey Rublev in four sets on Centre Court on Tuesday to set up a semi-final against Jannik Sinner. The Serb got the job done within the time on offer, but this was not the case on Sunday when his fourth-round match against Hubert Hurkacz was suspended.
Djokovic and Hurcacz were allowed two hours’ play before the curfew and then restarted their match on Monday afternoon. Last Thursday, Andy Murray’s match against Stefanos Tsitsipas was also forced to end before the curfew, much to the dismay of fans.
What time does Wimbledon start and finish every day?
The Grounds open daily at 10am. They close 45 minutes after the end of the last match.
Play starts on outside courts at 11am and on No.1 Court at 1pm. On Centre Court, play starts at 1.30pm apart from finals weekend when it begins at 2pm. New for 2023, play on No.1 Court will begin at 11am on finals weekend (Saturday, July 15 and Sunday, July 16).
Please note, however, that play on outside courts can be disrupted by rain and therefore start later. Centre Court and No.1 Court both have roofs, meaning they can avoid this scenario.
Djokovic, who is bidding to equal Roger Federer’s record eight Wimbledon men’s singles titles in 2023, believes play could begin earlier on the two main courts.
“Obviously [the] curfew is probably something that is much more difficult to change, I understand, because of the community and the residential area we are in,” Djokovic said on Monday.
“I think the matches could be pushed at least to start at [midday]. I think it would make a difference.”
Djokovic also faced a race against time on French when he played Stan Wawrinka in their third-round tie from 9pm — but overcame the Swiss the same night.
So when is Wimbledon’s curfew and why does play have to end early?
What time is the Wimbledon curfew?
The curfew at Wimbledon is 11pm. Matches will be halted shortly before this time.
Why is there a curfew at Wimbledon?
The curfew at Wimbledon was implemented out of consideration for local residents.
The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club said in 2018: “The 11pm curfew is a planning condition applied to balance the consideration of the local residents with the scale of an international tennis event that takes place in a residential area.
“The challenge of transport connectivity and getting visitors home safely is also a key consideration. The curfew was introduced for the opening of the Centre Court roof in 2009.”
Has Wimbledon’s curfew ever been broken?
The Wimbledon curfew was broken in 2012, when Andy Murray beat Marcos Baghdatis in four sets. Their match ended at 11.02pm.
However, the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club wasn’t punished for breaking the curfew. Merton Council’s leader Stephen Alambritis at the time said that “flexibility and commonsense prevailed,” local media reported.
He said: “We were in touch with the All England Club from 10pm onwards and there were discussions between our planning officers and the tournament director.
“We have always said these pre-arrangements were to be used with discretion, so I was pleased flexibility and commonsense prevailed, because we have a duty to both the residents as well as the tennis.”
