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Wimbledon was still completing first round matches on Day 3 of the tournament as rain has wreaked havoc at the All England Tennis & Lawn Club — forcing delays and frustrating fans.
While Centre Court hosted second round matches for the likes of top women’s seed Iga Świątek and No. 2 men’s seed Novak Djokovic after play resumed Wednesday afternoon, first round matches on both sides of the draw were still underway on the other 18 courts.
With a record purse of $56.5 million this year, Wimbledon has already issued refunds totalling more than $300,000 in light of Tuesday’s rainfall that pushed back all but eight of the 77 scheduled matches. It was the biggest washout at Wimbledon since 2004.
On Monday, Djokovic was perplexed at the 80-minute delay during his first-round victory on Centre Court — which boasts a state-of-the-art retractable roof that reportedly cost over $100 million. The grass got too wet before the roof was closed.
Before the British skies turned dark, Wimbledon fielded a staggering 12,000-plus fans queuing for tickets on Day 1, leading to confusion from fans and an eventual apology from Wimbledon for the chaos. The result was Wimbledon’s largest day of attendance (42,815) since 20215.
Laying Down The Law
Despite ramping up security ahead of Wimbledon in light of protests at other recent British sporting events, the All England Club has already had to briefly pause play because of disturbances. Three people were arrested on Wednesday after spreading confetti on Court 18 during two separate matches.
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