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Controversy over Wimbledon's new roof

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Updated Jun 29, 2009 7:54 PM ET
     
 
Mother Nature has always been the trickiest of opponents for the players at Wimbledon, but while she may not be beaten this year, it seems the All England Club will at least manage to compete. Ever since the cranes moved in at Church Road in the summer of 2006, plenty has been spoken and written about the new Centre Court roof. The 2007 championships will be remembered for the "open bowl" that was Centre Court, while 12 months ago the first views of the giant steel trusses gave us a hint of what was to come. This year we get the finished article — a retractable roof which will allow play even when it's raining. However, while play will now be able to take place during even the heaviest of rain, the roof will bring new problems. Controversy can be expected for a start, as John Barrett, the British Davis Cup player who went on to become a popular TV commentator, readily admits. He said: "I remember the first year of the roof in Australia in 1988. Chris Evert was in the final (against Steffi Graf). She felt the roof hindered her when it came across, and she was right. And so it will be this time. There probably will be those moments.

Conditions

"Players will be saying 'it's all right for them, but what about me?' "It does change the conditions slightly (playing indoors) — for a start, there's no wind." However, Barrett, a vice president at the All England Club who has just edited a new book on the history of Centre Court, says everything has been done to ensure the best possible playing conditions. "The club has undertaken three years of extensive test studies," he added. "There was a mock-up in the north of England (in Rotherham) on the ground to see if the roof worked, the moving parts, etc. The main concern was the humidity in the air. "Would it produce moisture and make it unplayable? You can't play if it's damp at all. "It would be good if all the fans could stop breathing! "(To prevent condensation), there are three levels of air conditioning — in the roof, in the bulk spectator area and the court surface area; the system blows air across it. "We did a lot of tests, but it's not easy to simulate those things. However, the scientific evidence proved it would be possible." After taking almost three years to add the roof to Centre Court — a move that also raised the capacity by more than 1,000 to 15,000 — things culminated in May's test event, which attracted a full house to see the likes of Tim Henman and Steffi Graf involved in a full-scale trial. Barrett says the roof passed with flying colors.

Remarkable

"The players said it was still like playing outdoors because the roof is so light — there's also up-lighting on to the material. "It was a remarkable experience. One of the things most notable was the explosive noise hitting the ball produces. It made for a wonderful atmosphere." Now, the roof has made its first outing at the world's most famous tournament. However, fans should be aware that the roof does not mean an end to delays or the famous covers. As the roof — a "concertina"' of 5,200 square metres of waterproof fabric — takes 10 minutes to close; the covers will still have to be brought across the famous turf when play is suspended. And once the roof has been closed, it will take another 20-30 minutes for play to resume as the air conditioning kicks in to ensure optimum playing conditions. Another point worth making is that while the decision to open or close the roof will be taken by the tournament referee, the general practice will be that once the roof is closed, the match in progress will then be concluded with the roof overhead, even if the rain relents. The roof looks set to aid the biggest names — the likes of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray seem unlikely to fall far behind in their schedule given they often get to play on Centre — but it will do little to ensure the tournament moves on as a whole, at least in the early stages. As Barrett admits: "It's not going to help that much in terms of the completion of the tournament as a whole. It will at least satisfy 15,000 people and millions around the world watching on TV." It will certainly make interesting viewing. "Centre Court: The Jewel In Wimbledon's Crown," edited by John Barrett and Ian Hewitt and published by Vision Sports Publishing, is out now.

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