Wimbledon appetite for 15-day Grand Slam is ‘zero': Tim Henman
Tim Henman, a member of the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) board, has characterized the appetite for a 15-day tournament at Wimbledon as 'zero.'
Speaking to a small group of reporters at a Sky Sports Tennis event Thursday, Henman suggested that the third Grand Slam of the year would never add an extra day to its fortnight of tennis, as the U.S. Open moves to a 15-day main draw from 2025. Wimbledon only moved to 14 days from 13 days in 2022, having previously used the so-called 'Middle Sunday' as a rest day for both players and its grass courts.
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'The middle Sunday was absolutely about watering the court so it would still be alive for the latter part of the tournament,' said Henman, a four-time Wimbledon semifinalist and former world No. 4.
'It was a big decision to go to 14 days, all the research and data around that — you're looking at 80 hours of tennis on Centre Court, that's the maximum, optimal amount of time.
'I think the appetite to go to 15 days is zero, first and foremost because of the courts… From Wimbledon's point of view, 14 days for the championships is enough.'
The AELTC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The AELTC intends to build 39 new grass courts — including one show court — on the former Wimbledon Park golf course opposite its main site, in a bid to move qualifying from nearby Roehampton and so follow the other three majors in becoming a de facto three-week event. It has secured planning permission, but local residents have lodged legal opposition to the plans, which are not expected to be completed until the early 2030s if they go ahead.
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Why Wimbledon wants 39 more tennis courts, and why campaigners are so opposed
The French Open moved to a 15-day event as early as 2006, while the Australian Open first adopted the format for 2024.
Wimbledon 2025 will be the first without line judges, marking the end of a 147-year tradition. Henman said that while he understands the knock-on effect for umpiring and officiating pathways, Wimbledon opting out of electronic line calling (ELC) as it is widely adopted across the tours would have been out of step.
'If Wimbledon were to have taken the decision to say, 'Oh no, I think we're going to keep line judges,' that would have looked very bizarre,' Henman said. All ATP Tour events will use ELC for the 2025 season, with the WTA constantly reviewing its adoption of the technology.
This year's Wimbledon begins Monday June 30.
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