New high-tech roof graces Wimbledon

WIMBLEDON, England – The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club at Wimbledon is famous for its grass courts and for the elite cadre of players that descend upon those courts each year during late June and early July. With one of the most historic final men’s singles matches between Roger Federer and Andy Roddick, this year was no exception.

Federer’s win over Roddick in a 30-game, fifth-set tiebreaker was his 15th grand slam victory, the most ever of any professional tennis player.

For the past 132 years, however, any inclement weather, be it a light downpour or excessive heat, could cause play to be suspended indefinitely. Last year’s final between Rafael Nadal and Federer was an extreme example – their match lasted about five hours because of rain delays.

During the past three years though, construction crews have been busily working away at a new retractable roof for the main Wimbledon stadium, which now protects Centre Court from the elements.

At 5,200 square meters, the roof is designed to easily cover the entire Centre Court and its 15,000 spectators in just less than 10 minutes as soon as the decision is made to close it. The new cover is made of a light, waterproof and translucent “folding fabric concertina,” according to the 2009 Wimbledon Program. This material allows for natural light to still pour into the stadium and for an airflow system to remove excess condensation that will keep the grass, spectators and players happy as an optimum internal environment is created to mimic normal conditions. Additionally, added floodlights will aid matches that last past sunset.

In total, the roof and seating renovations on the 87-year-old Centre Court have cost the exclusive tennis club close to 80 million pounds, equivalent to about $130 million.

Although not needed for either day of the finals (actually, it was only used during one match June 29), the retractable roof over Centre Court ensures future spectators will be able to enjoy the best tennis the world has to offer in a modern facility that stays true to its heritage.

But the new roof doesn’t mean that matches will be shorter; this year’s final finished in just more than four hours, a marathon in the world of tennis.