The All England Club says there is not an ‘exact science’ concerning the scheduling of their matches and decisions are always made in fairness to all players.
Wimbledon came under heavy criticism on Monday following their decision to schedule a women’s match last to take place on Court One even though the winner would have to play their next round the following day. Emma Raducan’s clash with Ajla Tomljanović didn’t take place until 8pm local time which was more than five hours after Ash Barty won her match.
Some in the world of tennis questioned why organisers didn’t decide to schedule the women’s matches before the men who don’t have to play their quarter-final matches until Wednesday. Christopher Clarey of The New York Times branded the organisation as a ‘tactical error’ on Twitter.
“Clearly a tactical error to schedule Raducanu & Tomljanovic for 3d on No. 1 Court. FAA & Zverev into a 5th set so won’t start until 7.30pm or later. Women must turn around tomorrow & play quarterfinals. Barty, who will play the winner, already in the clubhouse for ages. Not right.” He wrote.
Another questionable decision involved Daniil Medvedev’s clash with Hubert Hurkacz. Their match was suspended due to the rain and later cancelled with Medvedev leading by two sets to one. However, it is unclear as to why the clash wasn’t moved to Center Court. When Roger Federer finished his match there was still three hours of play before the curfew came into force.
“The scheduling of the order of play each day at The Championships is a complex operation, and although we take great care when scheduling matches and allocating courts on a daily basis, it is not an exact science,” a statement from the tournament reads.
“All decisions are made with fairness and the best interests of the tournament, players, spectators and our worldwide broadcast audience at heart, but the unpredictable nature of the length of matches and the British weather can and will cause disruption to any schedule.”
Regarding the retirement of Raducanu due to ‘breathing difficulties,’ the All England Club said they were ‘sad’ about the outcome. There has been no formal acknowledgement that the late-night match might have contributed towards her retirement from the tournament. Commencing on the situation on BBC TV, British Fed Cup captain Anne Keothanov said ‘that’s tennis and you have to adapt. She (Raducanu) will be in similar situations again and she will be stronger for it.’
“We were very sad to see Emma forced to withdraw from her match last night and wish her all the best with her recovery. She should be commended for the poise and maturity she has shown throughout the Wimbledon Fortnight and we very much look forward to welcoming her back to Wimbledon next year and in the years to come,” Wimbledon organisers commented.
From 2022 there will be no Manic Monday where all 16 fourth round matches are played on the same day. Instead, they will be spaced out over a 48-hour period.
