Centre Court

Centre Court is a famous tennis court at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, also called the All England Club. It is the main court used during the Wimbledon Championships, one of the biggest tennis events in the world. Because it is so well known, many people think of it as the most famous tennis court on the planet.

The court is only used for matches during the two weeks each year when the Championships happen. It has a special area called the Royal Box where the British royal family and other important guests can watch the games. Even though it is very big, Centre Court is only the sixth largest tennis stadium in the world.

In 2009, a special roof was added so players could keep competing when it rained or play after sunset, although games must stop by 11:00 pm because of local rules. Besides Wimbledon, Centre Court also hosted tennis matches during the 2012 Summer Olympics, along with No. 1 Court and No. 2 Court.

History

The Centre Court gets its name from its place at the old All England Croquet Club. Back then, the main court sat right in the middle of all the others. When the first Wimbledon Championship in 1877 happened, there were 12 courts set out in a grid, but no real centre court. That changed in 1881 when two middle courts merged to create the Centre Court. The name stuck even when the club moved to its current spot in 1922. It wasn’t until 1980, with four more courts added, that the Centre Court was truly in the centre again.

We don’t know how many people could watch games at first. In 1881, temporary stands were put up on three sides. By 1884, one stand became permanent, followed by the others soon after. These stands were joined together in 1886. They grew bigger over time, and in 1909, a new stand added 600 more seats. By 1914, the capacity went up to 3,500 and stayed that way until the club moved.

During World War II, the court was hit by bombs in 1940, destroying 1,200 seats. Play continued after the war in 1946, but full repairs weren’t done until 1949. The original roof from 1922 was changed several times. In 1979, it was raised to add more seats. In 1992, the roof was replaced to give more people a better view.

A full retractable roof finished in 2009, and the capacity grew to 15,000 with new seats added. New facilities for media, scoreboards, and commentary boxes were also built, along with wider seats and extra stairs and lifts.

Retractable roof

After many years of discussion about rain delays, the All England Club decided to build a retractable roof for the entire court. Work started after the 2006 championships, and there was no roof over the stands in 2007. The new roof was finished in time for the 2009 Championships, and it was first tested in May 2009 with an exhibition match featuring Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf, Tim Henman, and Kim Clijsters.

Closing the roof takes up to 10 minutes, and play stops while this happens. Switching from outside to inside play can take up to 45 minutes as the air system adjusts. Once the roof is closed, it must stay closed for the rest of the match, so some matches finish indoors even if the sun comes out again.

Scoreboard

The Scoreboard on Centre Court looks much like the one first put up in the 1950s. Back then, people would write the players’ names and scores by hand. In 1982, they started using dot matrix boards, and in 2008, they switched to full colour LED screens. These screens show replays using the Hawk-Eye system for the crowd to see.

Inscription

Above the entryway to Centre Court, there is an inscription that says, "If you can meet with triumph and disaster / And treat those two impostors just the same." These lines come from a poem by Rudyard Kipling titled If—.

Longest Match

The longest match ever played on Centre Court happened during the 2008 Wimbledon Championships men’s singles final. Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer competed in an amazing game that lasted 4 hours and 48 minutes. Nadal won the match with a score of 6–4, 6–4, 6–7(5–7), 6–7(8–10), 9–7, earning his first Wimbledon title. This match is listed in the Guinness World Records as the longest Wimbledon men’s singles final ever. Many people think it was one of the best tennis matches ever played.