Wimbledon Plans Schedule Change Starting in 2015

By Erik Gudris

Wimbledon will change its schedule for 2015

(July 19, 2012) -- After floating the idea several weeks ago, the All-England Lawn and Tennis Club officially confirmed that Wimbledon would indeed move back one week in the tennis schedule starting in 2015.

The change will have the biggest tennis tournament in the world starting on June 29th and ending on July 12th, allowing a three-week space between itself and Roland Garros thus giving players a longer transition time from the slow red clay of Paris to the grass courts of England.

"There is widespread support within the game for extending the gap," said All England Club chairman Philip Brook. "The best interests of tennis will be served by allowing the players more time to recuperate and to adjust from the clay of Roland Garros to the grass at Wimbledon."

On hearing the news several players immediately approved of the decision. Sabine Lisicki, a semifinalist in 2011, said on her Twitter account. "Wimbledon will moved back a week starting 2015. That hopefully means we'll have a longer grass court season too."

If a longer grass court season actually happens remains to be seen though there has been talk for several years of the need for an ATP Masters 1000 event on grass before Wimbledon as happens during the clay court season before the French Open and summer hard court season before the U.S. Open. The ATP event in Halle is planning to add a WTA event in the next few years and that would benefit from having an extra week in the schedule as well.

But any changes in the already packed tennis season could result in some tournaments, especially those happening right after Wimbledon, to move either further back in the year or possibly be cancelled altogether. Events like the ones held last week in Bastad, Newport, Stuttgart and Umag look to be the most vulnerable while tournaments in North America during the U.S. Open series could also be required to move back or be held concurrently in the same week.

"In making this change from 2015 we recognize that there will be some important consequences for the overall tennis calendar and enough time needs to be given to allow us all to plan accordingly," Brook said in his statement. "In anticipation of the work required, I would like to thank our colleagues throughout the game for their enthusiasm and support for the vision of a tennis calendar that will better suit the needs of the modern day sport."