Wimbledon bosses are shooting themselves in the foot by being stubborn with their schedule. It’s the only Grand Slam that has an early cut-off due to an 11pm curfew imposed by Merton Council.
I’m definitely not complaining about that. Nobody wants to be leaving here at 4am. But do the biggest stars need to be treated to luxurious lie-ins?
No wonder Nick Kyrgios went out the night before he played Rafael Nadal on Centre Court – he had so much time to recover the next day!
At the Australian Open, play starts on the Rod Laver Arena at 11.30am. The French Open kicks off the action on Court Philippe-Chatrier at midday. As does the Arthur Ashe Stadium at the US Open.
Yet Wimbledon chiefs stand firm on their 1.30pm Centre Court start time. Even Court 1 must wait until 1pm before the players step on.
On many occasions, players are made to return the following day to finish off.
There is an argument that playing an extra hour each day would equal 14 hours of extra action. That’s essentially two more days of play.
The grass is already threadbare enough when it comes to finals weekend. But that theory is absolute nonsense. The matches have to continue either way, it just means extra messing around.
Farrell at the double
ANDY Farrell has got his Lions roaring just in time. And now his cub Owen has joined the pack, their hunt for a first Tour win since 2013 has grown stronger.
The Saracens star has 112 caps for England and played in the last three Tests. He might not get many minutes on the pitch, but expect the leader to set an example on the training pitch.
Content Source: www.express.co.uk