Why did Wimbledon 2023 start so late this year?
Wimbledon 2023 is underway, with favourite Novak Djokovic starting his title defence, though rain briefly stopped play.
Dark clouds gathered over London’s SW19 shortly after lunch, as a Wimbledon washout looked on the cards, and a damp Centre Court delayed Djokovic’s match by an hour.
Fans of Nick Kyrgios were also left disappointed when the Australian had to withdraw at the last minute due to injury.
Plenty of celebrities flocked to the tournament, but the July 3 start date has left many people wondering – hasn’t Wimbledon started later than usual this year?
Doesn’t it usually begin in June?
Let’s find out.
Is Wimbledon starting late this year?
The short answer is, yes.
Wimbledon 2023 is the joint latest in Open championships history, along with the 2017 event which also began on 3 July.
Traditionally, Wimbledon began on the last Monday in June.
Back in 1983, the Men’s Final was held on July 3 – when John McEnroe took the title – so the Championships had begun a full two weeks earlier.
This year the Men’s Final will be held on July 16.
Why is Wimbledon late?
Back in 2012, the All England Club decided to start the Championships a week later, beginning in 2015.
This was to lengthen the grass court season, elongate the gap between Wimbledon and Roland Garros, and allow players more time to recover from the French Open.
It also gives players time to adjust from clay to grass courts, as the ball has a lower bounce on grass.
However, the Championships didn’t shift into July until 2017, but in 2021 they ran at half capacity in the midst of disruption due to Covid and began on June 28.
Last year, the first back at full capacity since the pandemic, Wimbledon began on June 27.
In 2024, Wimbledon will run from July 1-14.
Are tickets still available?
Wimbledon tickets are released every day but to get them, you’ll need to join the famous Queue by 9am at the very latest.
There are thousands of Ground Passes available for £27 (reduced to £20 from July 11, £15 for July 15 and 15, and £8 for Sunday, 6 July – as there are fewer matches on the outside courts).
Plus those who get there early enough could nab one of 500 tickets to the show courts, though you might need to camp overnight to do that.
Once inside, there’s a chance to buy show court tickets from the resale kiosk at hugely reduced prices, from 3pm or later, with proceeds going to charity.
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