Wimbledon is the only major still played on grass, the traditional tennis playing surface. The Wimbledon Queue 2 for each day of play. In 1946 the AELTC offered employment to wartime servicemen returning to civilian life during their demobilisation leave. The 2012 Gentlemen's Singles Final on 8 July 2012, between Roger Federer and Murray, was the first singles final to be partially played under the roof, which was activated during the third set. This is free on the weekends and for Blue Badge holders. Although much has changed since the tournament was introduced in 1887, the traditions of strawberries and cream and the strict dress code of all white for its competitors continue to preserve Wimbledon's place in British Heritage. Spencer Gore, an old Harrovian rackets player, defeated William Marshall 61, 62 and 64 in 48 minutes. [117] This issue gained the attention of the men's "Big Four"Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Andy Murray, and Rafael Nadalas well as the Championships. A new code of laws, replacing the code administered by the Marylebone Cricket Club, was drawn up for the event. The capacity of the stadium also rose by 900 to 12,345. [101] Beginning with the 2012 tournament, coverage moved to ESPN and ESPN2, marking the second major tennis championship (after the Australian Open) where live coverage is exclusively on pay television, while ESPN Deportes provide the coverage in Spanish. Fans can accept or decline the chance to buy the tickets they are offered as a result of the draw, and are given a short space of time to complete their purchase. The seats are guaranteed to be in the first 14 rows of the elevated stand around Centre Court (ie. Again, Wimbledons Centre Court is the home for all tennis stars during the tournament; with nearly 98% matches including at least one seed in 2016. Free-to-air coverage returned to Nine Network in 2021. [106], The winner of the Gentlemen's Doubles, Ladies' Doubles, and Mixed Doubles events receive silver cups. The Service Stewards are not to be confused with the 185 Honorary Stewards. In 1985 there were only 16 seeds and Becker was ranked 20th; Ivanievi was ranked 125th when he won as a Wild Card entrant, although he had previously been a finalist three times, and been ranked no. [31] Prior to the start of the 2003 tournament, the club began paying an annual insurance premium of 1.61m ($2million) to cover losses from cancellation of Wimbledon in the event of a worldwide pandemic as a result of the SARS outbreak; it would receive an insurance payment of 114million ($141million) for the 2020 cancellation on expected losses of around 250million ($312million). For many people, a ticket to Wimbledon is a bucket list item, and getting them from a reliable source such as Championship Tennis Tours is a must. [106], The Ladies' Singles champion is presented with a sterling silver salver commonly known as the "Venus Rosewater Dish", or simply the "Rosewater Dish". Every BBG keeps their kit. The main section of Wimbledon starts on June 26 and finishes on July 9 in 2023, with the ballot taking place long beforehand. /*-->