Wimbledon has big following in the U.S.A

Wimbledon is the oldest Grand Slam tournament, and there are many ways in which the All England Club is setting one foot in the modern age while keeping another solidly rooted in its famous past. Tennis fans in New York City can gather to see live TV coverage of the last three days of Wimbledon at an outdoor watch party at Brooklyn Bridge Park. 

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July 5, 2023 - 3:15 PM

Serbia's Novak Djokovic of Serbia plays a forehand against fellow countryman Miomir Kecmanovic during the third round of the Wimbledon Championships at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on Friday, July 1, 2022, in London. (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images/TNS)

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Tennis fans in New York can gather to see live TV coverage of the last three days of Wimbledon at an outdoor watch party at Brooklyn Bridge Park from July 14-16, featuring the women’s final and the men’s semifinals and final. Online registration for 1,500 free tickets for each day ends Thursday; walk-ins will be allowed, too.

So much of that paragraph would have been incomprehensible to anyone around for the initial edition of the oldest Grand Slam tennis tournament in 1877, from the television broadcast to the trans-Atlantic appeal to the online element to, even, the participation of women in the competition: They were not allowed to play singles until 1884 or doubles until 1913.

The creation of “The Hill in New York” — touted as “a quintessential Wimbledon experience from afar,” replete with gin and tonics, strawberries and cream, fish and chips, tea and scones and, naturally, a merchandise shop with the same towels, hats and other official tournament paraphernalia sold at the actual competition site — is one of many ways in which the All England Club (full name: All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club) is setting one foot in the modern age, such as the retractable roofs on Centre Court and No. 1 Court that permitted play as rain fell Tuesday and Wednesday, while keeping another solidly rooted in its famous past.

“At Wimbledon, we’re always conscious of finding the balance between respecting our heritage and tradition,” Club chief executive Sally Bolton said, “alongside the pursuit of innovation and bringing in new audiences to share in the magic of The Championships.”

See? Even the way they refer to the two-week event by those two words is a nod to earlier times. As is the continued use of grass courts, the only major tournament to still do so (the U.S. Open and Australian Open have shifted from grass to hard courts; the French Open is played on red clay.) As is the use of “fortnight” to describe the two weeks.

And yet the fact that it is now a fully 14-day event is a nod to today. Until last year, Wimbledon’s schedule was spread out over 13 days; the middle Sunday was set aside as a day of rest, used for play only in cases of extreme rain disruptions during Week 1 to make up a backlog of contests. Now those Sundays always will have matches.

That, like the New York event that began in 2022, is just one of the ways in which the All England Club is adapting to the present — and has its eyes on the future.

“We recognize that we’re a global event and we have audiences all over the world,” Bolton said in an interview. “But as we think about growth, there are certain countries where we think that there’s quite a bit more potential to grow that audience, and the U.S. is a great example of that.”

There is also the intent to expand the local footprint by using land from the golf club across the road to build a new arena and courts for qualifying rounds. Bolton said the hope is there will be a decision by local authorities on a planning application by the end of 2023, so work can begin to allow new courts to be ready in the late 2020s or early 2030s.

Gender equity has been a particular area of change.

One tweak this year was to the all-white clothing rule, which often is cited as part of Wimbledon’s historic charm but also was criticized by some female players for making them uncomfortable when they have their period. Now they are allowed to wear dark-colored undershorts.

“That was very much about recognizing that we want all athletes to have the best opportunity to focus on their performance,” Bolton said, “and to not have distractions. … It wasn’t a difficult decision.”

Victoria Azarenka, a 33-year-old from Belarus who was twice the champion at the Australian Open and twice a semifinalist at the All England Club, appreciated the move.

“England is based a lot on tradition, and I think they try to hold onto it as much as possible, compared to other places. That’s what differentiates Wimbledon,” Azarenka said. “But the adjustment to the attire is more practical than sticking with the tradition, and it is the right step to help women feel a little more comfortable here. The rest of the white attire is something that makes Wimbledon special and a beautiful part of that. Tennis, in general, can use a bit of a change in rules.”

There are other ways in which Wimbledon has been doing that — albeit after taking longer than some wished.

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