Well that didn’t take long! Rain stops play on day one at Wimbledon as tennis fans sit in waterproofs – while ground staff use leaf blowers to dry the damp Centre Court grass
- The round one Wimbledon match between Djokovic and Cachin was rained off
Rain stopped play on day one of Wimbledon as tennis fans were forced to sit in waterproofs while ground staff used leaf blowers to dry the damp Centre Court grass.
People were seen taking shelter from the rain as play between Novak Djokovic of Serbia and Pedro Cachin of Argentina was suspended.
Light drizzle saw the court covered and then the roof deployed after Djokovic wrapped up the opening set but, unlike on Court One, play did not then resume as scheduled.
Djokovic and Cachin came out to inspect the grass but the defending champion was clearly unhappy with the slipperiness of the surface and they headed back to the locker room.
Djokovic then re-emerged with a towel, which he proceeded to rub on the court to laughter from the crowd, before members of the ground staff used leaf blowers to try to dry the surface.
Spectators shelter under an umbrella after rain stopped play on day one of the Wimbledon tennis championships in London
Groundstaff use leaf blowers to dry the court as the first round match between Serbia’s Novak Djokovic and Argentina’s Pedro Cachin is suspended due to rain
People take shelter from rain as play is suspended between Novak Djokovic of Serbia and Pedro Cachin of Argentina
Spectators react as rain starts at the Wimbledon Championships, by covering their head with a jacket
More than 6,200 non-ticket holders have joined the queue in a bid to get a glimpse of the action today as Serbia’s Novak Djokovic begins his title defence against Argentina’s 67th-ranked Pedro Cachin.
As the sun rose this morning, tennis lovers stationed in Wimbledon Park were already grabbing their queue cards as they try to snag coveted on-the-day tickets.
But fans can expect a ‘much wetter day’ tomorrow, according to the Met Office. Meteorologists say Thursday and Friday could bring better conditions.
Thousands of fans have started shuffling towards the Wimbledon gates after Love Island star Kem Cetinay opened the first checkpoint for day one of the championships.
The show’s 2017 winner started a short countdown before yelling: ‘Let’s go’ and running through an arch in Wimbledon Park.
Meanwhile, Emma Raducanu posed for a photoshoot with Evian at Wimbledon after taking selfies with excited fans.
The 20-year-old, who was forced out of this year’s tournament through injury, let a number of fans take pictures.
She was then photographed in the Evian VIP suite – where she was snapped posing in front of signs for the brand, which sponsors her, as well as posters of herself holding cans of its sparkling water.
People take shelter from rain as play is suspended between Novak Djokovic of Serbia and Pedro Cachin of Argentina
Rain covers are rolled out on court 15 by ground staff on day one of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club
General view of a cover on court 2 as the first round match between Belgium’s David Goffin and Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan is suspended due to rain
Rain stops play as ball boys and girls cover the courts to protect the grass during the Men’s Singles first round match between Fabian Marozsan of Hungary and David Goffin of Belgium on day one of The Championships Wimbledon 2023
A security guard uses an umbrella to shelter from the rain on day one of The Championships Wimbledon 2023
The 20-year-old, who was forced out of this year’s tournament through injury, also posed in front of posters for sponsor Evian
Emma Raducanu poses for selfies with fans as they queue at Wimbledon this morning
Fans have already joined the notorious Wimbledon queue in a bid to get a glimpse of the action today
Wimbledon fans have camped overnight for the first day of the tennis championship as Novak Djokovic prepares for a centre court clash
First in line, Julia Barker, 47, followed the celebrity with her green queue ticket, stamped number one, alongside her husband Nicky, 54, and son Dan, 23.
The 47-year-old – alongside her husband Kicky, 54, and son 23-year-old son Dan – flew over from Dublin on Friday night to stand in the line.
The family have lived in Ireland for over 20 years, but are originally from Latvia, and have been camping since 7.30am on Saturday.
Dan said: ‘We didn’t expect to be first. Then we realised there was nobody here.’
Katrin Causch has flown from Berlin to join the queue for Wimbledon for the fourth time. She arrived at Wimbledon Park at 11pm last night equipped only with a sleeping bag and no tent.
She said she believes the queue makes a big difference to the popularity of the tournament.
Joziane, Kaylee and Avery (pictured left to right) have queued up in Wimbledon Park today in a bid to secure tickets for the first day of the tournament
Tennis fans, with their queue cards in hand, battle to secure ground passes to the tournament
Ms Raducanu poses for selfies with fans as they queue at Wimbledon this morning
A Wimbledon fan wrapped up in a union jack flag is seen enjoying strawberries at her campsite this morning
Love Island 2017 winner Kem Cetinay opened the first gate for the queue at 7.18am today after a short countdown. Tennis fans are pictured in the Wimbledon queue this morning
She was pictured in the Evian VIP suite, standing in front of posters of herself holding a can of Evian
Julia Barker, holding a ticket stamped number one, was first in line
Julia Barker (right), her husband Nicky (left) and their son Dan (centre) flew in from Ireland for the tournament and have been camping since 7.30am on Saturday
Tennis fans are pictured in the queue on day one of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club
Tennis fans who camped out overnight in the Wimbledon queue sit on a sofa this morning
Asked what the draw of Wimbledon is, she said: ‘It’s just Wimbledon. It’s just unbelievable, it’s great.
‘It’s the famous tournament and they make it possible for people to queue getting tickets, instead of paying very high prices.
‘It is amazing in the queue to meet people from all over the world.’
Karen Mardon, from Surrey, said the Wimbledon queue is ‘very democratic’.
Standing in line with her three friends, all in their 60s, she said: ‘It doesn’t mean that you only get to go because you have got lots of money.’
She added that it stops tickets only going to the ‘fantastically rich’.
One of her friends, Kate Savin, has been to the tournament around 15 times and was hailed by her queue mates as a tennis ‘champion’ at a local Surrey club.
Thousands of fans are seen shuffling towards the Wimbledon gates
A Wimbledon fan peeks out of his tent after camping overnight before joining the queue today
Thousands of ticketless tennis fans queue in the early morning sunshine in Wimbledon Park on the first day of the championships
Michele Jennings and Suzanne Pyefinch are 76th in the queue for Wimbledon tickets
A tennis fan camped out overnight to secure tickets to the 2023 Wimbledon Championships
Sarah Hedley, a civil servant from Hull, has been to Wimbledon every year since 1995, with the exception of 2020 when the tournament was cancelled because of the pandemic. She celebrated her 53rd birthday in the queue yesterday.
‘My friend and I came in 1995,’ she recalled this morning. ‘We were watching the six o’clock news in Birmingham and saw an article about the queue. I said: “I would really love to do that.”
‘We were actually in the pub. We finished our second drink, went to mine, got a sleeping bag and got here at one o’clock in the morning.’
Ms Hedley arrived at Wimbledon Park this year at 1pm yesterday with her school friend Emily Donoghue, who has never queued for the tournament before.
The 52-year-old, also from Hull, said: ‘We spoke about coming to Wimbledon when we were at school and we finally got around to doing it.’
Nicky Barker, 54, Dan Barker, 23, Julia Barker, 47, (left to right) from Ireland, were the first three in the queue for on day one of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club
Danilo Criscuoler, (second from right) from Naples, waits with friends in the overnight queue ahead of the 2023 Wimbledon Championship at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club
A fan rests in the early morning sunshine at Wimbledon Park today as she joins thousands of ticketless tennis lovers in a bid to gain entry into the All England Lawn Tennis Club
Play begins on most courts today at 11am today, which is when Russia’s Andrey Rublev will play Australia’s Max Purcell on No. 3 Court, and Belarusian player Victoria Azarenka will take on China’s Yuan Yue at Court 15.
No. 4 seed Jessica Pegula goes up against Lauren Davis at No. 2 Court this morning in an all-American matchup.
But the action at No. 1 Court begins at 1pm when Poland’s Iga Świątek faces off against China’s Zhu Lin.
Centre Court is the last arena to get going, at 1.30pm, when Djokovic-Cachin is set to start. Alcaraz is the new big thing in men’s tennis but Djokovic remains the favourite to retain his Wimbledon title this month.
Five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams will begin her 24th appearance at Wimbledon after the Djokovic-Cachin. The American tennis star will face off against 2019 semifinalist Elina Svitolina, of Ukraine.
Fans took to social media this morning to document their hours-long journey through the queue, with many showing off their queue cards and free strawberries.
But as they battle to secure ground passes to the beloved tournament, fans may also find themselves fighting a spout of unpleasant weather.
Wimbledon campers are seen eating breakfast as they take their chances at securing tickets to the tennis championship today
Tennis fans camped out overnight in the Wimbledon queue
Wimbledon campers were all loved up this morning as they prepared to queue for tickets
A tennis lover waves from her camping chair as she prepares to queue for Wimbledon tickets
A tennis fan who camped out overnight in the Wimbledon queue is wrapped up in a blanket on day one of the championships
Emma Raducanu poses for selfies with fans as they queue at Wimbledon this morning
A tennis fan camping out in Wimbledon Park last night is pictured with his sleeping bag and union jack pillow
The Met Office predicts a persistent spell of rain will move eastwards across Wales and northern and central England today.
Rain lying over the far north of Scotland will linger around this morning and make its way further south, but ‘incredibly slowly’.
Met Office meteorologist Amy Bokota said: ‘Then there will just be isolated showers as we start [today] and there will be a little frontal wave that is going to be pushing across, sort of fringing Northern Ireland and going through parts of northern Wales and north England.
‘And that will have a tail that crosses London as well, so whilst London and the Wimbledon area will probably start off with a nice bright start to the day, it will start to become a little cloudier and they’ll expect to see some rain from mid afternoon, and then continuing towards the evening.
She says the front will become ‘patchy through the evening’ but adds that fans will ‘certainly be seeing some rain for a time at Wimbledon’ today.
London will probably see highs of 21C or 22C tomorrow, ‘and then further north probably into the high teens’.
Fans took to social media this morning to document their hours-long waits in line, with many showing off their queue cards and free strawberries
The Met Office has reminded fans to pack rain jackets and umbrellas as scattered showers are expected over London during the first week of the championship. Fans can expect some rain in south-west London today and a ‘much wetter day’ tomorrow
Ms Bokota said Wimbledon-goers should ‘definitely pack an umbrella and a coat’ as ‘there is going to be rain through the afternoon period’.
‘I mean it will be quite showery in nature so it might be hit-and-miss but there is a more focused band that will be crossing through the afternoon, so there is a chance they might just see the edge of a lighter shower,’ she added.
Elsewhere today, she said there will be ‘slightly lighter winds but still breezy’ with a few thunderstorms possible.
She added: ‘Probably parts of southern/northern Ireland and North West England, perhaps Yorkshire, might just see a few thunderstorms as well but, again, it should be moving through quite quickly so no major impact expected.’
She said ‘there’s a little bit of uncertainty as we head in towards Tuesday’, with another band of rain likely to move across the South of England.
‘So it does look like a much wetter day for Wimbledon and it could be a bit persistent and heavy at times,’ she said.
A camper comes out of his tent this morning as he prepares to join the Wimbledon queue
Play begins on most courts today at 11am today. Tennis fans are pictured this morning as they queue for coveted on-the-day tickets
Fans camped out overnight as they moved to secure a spot in the queue for tickets
Two Wimbledon campers shared a cup of tea last night as they prepared to spend hours queuing for tournament tickets today
Fans were seen playing tennis last night as they socialised with others preparing to camp out for the queue
Fans arrived to Wimbledon Park last night, with sleeping bags and rucksacks in hand, as they embarked on their overnight journey to queue for tickets
‘Certainly through the morning we’re likely to see some rain at Wimbledon and it’s just how quickly it clears through the afternoon. Tuesday, still holding on to that risk of sunny spells and showers, so staying unsettled and fairly cool – close to average.
‘Kind of much the same really, just sunshine and showers further north, some of those could be more prolonged at times across parts of Scotland.’
By Wednesday, the winds will be ‘steadily lightening as we head through the week’.
She said it is ‘looking at the moment like Thursday is probably the better day of the week and Friday just might be staying dry in the South East as well, so they’ll probably be good days for Wimbledon’.
Meanwhile, rail travellers – including Wimbledon fans – face another week of chaos as six days of industrial action starts today.
The ban on overtime working, called by train drivers’ union Aslef, could cause significant disruption on several lines as some operators rely on overtime working to run a full timetable.
Aslef announced last month that its members will withdraw non-contractual overtime, known as rest-day working, with 16 operators covering most of England from today until Saturday.
It could impact visitors to the first week of the Wimbledon tennis tournament.
It is understood that there have been no negotiations between the union and the rail operators since the action was announced on June 19.
Wimbledon fans camped out last night to queue ahead of the first day of the tennis championships
Tennis fans shared beers and played cards at their Wimbledon Park campsites last night
Two campers were seen playing chess last night as they prepared to join the hours-long queue this morning
Wimbledon fans camping out last night were playing tennis as they prepared to queue for tournament tickets today
Similarly, Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer suggested she could ‘not guarantee’ that Just Stop Oil would not disrupt Wimbledon.
Asked what action was being taken to prevent a protest being staged at the event, she told ITV’s Good Morning Britain she was ‘confident’ that police had the powers to intervene.
She, the Home Secretary Suella Braverman and a ‘number of other parties’ are having a ’roundtable’ discussion on how to take action to stop Just Stop Oil disrupting events across the country.
‘Of course I can’t guarantee that nothing is going to happen, but what I am confident about is the police understand the importance of these events going ahead and we have given them the powers to act,’ Ms Frazer said.
The tournament runs until July 16, but missing from the courts this year will be Nick Kyrgios who pulled out of the tournament with a wrist injury.
The Australian, who was last year’s Wimbledon runner-up, announced his decision to withdraw yesterday on Instagram – just hours after confirming he was ready to take on David Goffin in Monday’s opener at the All England Club.
‘I’m really sad to say that I have to withdraw from Wimbledon this year,’ the 28-year-old wrote. ‘I tried my hardest to be ready after my surgery and to be able to step on the Wimbledon courts again.
‘During my comeback, I experienced some pain in my wrist during the week of Mallorca. As a precaution I had it scanned and it came back showing a torn ligament in my wrist.
‘I tried everything to be able to play and I am disappointed to say that I just didn’t have enough time to manage it before Wimbledon.’
Kyrgios had a surgery on his left knee earlier this year and lost in his comeback match after a five-month layoff against China’s Wu Yibing in the Stuttgart Open first round last month. He missed the French Open due to a foot injury he sustained during the theft of his car.
Nick Kyrgios has withdrawn from Wimbledon where he surged to the final against Novak Djokovic last year. He is pictured receiving strapping from a trainer ahead of a practice session last week
Novak Djokovic begins his title defence against Argentina’s 67th-ranked Pedro Cachin today. Djokovic is pictured yesterday taking a selfie with fans
Five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams (pictured yesterday) will appear at the tournament for the 24th time today. She meets 2019 semifinalist Elina Svitolina, who recently returned after taking time off from the tour to have a baby, at Centre Court this afternoon
The athlete has revealed that he had been dreading the idea of coming back to tennis while he was sidelined with a knee injury that kept him out of this year’s Australian Open and saw him play just one match in the months since an operation.
Speaking to reporters yesterday, he admitted that – after a rare nine-month break from the sport and following a refreshing spell back home – he did not like the idea of coming back to tennis.
‘I don’t miss the sport at all, to be fair. I was almost dreading coming back a little bit. But it’s my job,’ Kyrgios said.
‘I wouldn’t watch too much tennis. There’s a couple of players I enjoy watching. Every time ‘Foe [Frances Tiafoe] is playing or Thanasi [Kokkinakis] is playing, or anyone like this, I like watching.’
Home fans will have six British players to cheer for on the first day of the tournament – Dan Evans, Jodie Burrage, Katie Swan, Jan Choinski, Harriet Dart and Liam Broady.
Evans has over the past couple of months criticised other British players for not playing enough tournaments, hit out at the elitist nature of the sport and claimed Ms Raducanu’s US Open win in 2021 papered over the domestic cracks.
The 33-year-old will take on France’s Quentin Halys today.
‘I’m obviously looking forward to it,’ he said. ‘It’s Wimbledon, it’s an amazing experience to play here and win matches here, so … my goal is to get through the first round.’
Burrage is yet to win a singles match at the All England Club but she was involved in one of the most popular stories of the tournament last year when she offered a Marks & Spencer treat to a ball boy who was feeling unwell.
The Percy Pig incident meant a disappointing first-round loss for Burrage was rather forgotten, and she is hoping it can be third time lucky today when she takes on American Caty McNally.
‘I played her at the US Open last year,’ said Burrage. ‘I’ll be watching that match back. She’s a tough opponent and actually on the grass she’s going to be really dangerous. I’ll enjoy the challenge.’
Swan expressed hopes that a strong performance at Wimbledon might encourage Sir Elton John to visit SW19 to support her after she signed with Rocket Entertainment – the management company co-founded by the music superstar.
She will take on 14th seed Belinda Bencic today.
‘Everyone here is tough but obviously she’s an Olympic gold medallist and she’s achieved so much in her career,’ said Swan.
‘I was excited when I saw the draw. Court Two is the biggest court I’ve played on here so I’m really pumped for it. I back myself and I think having the home support will be a lot of fun out there.’
Tennis fans queue on day one of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club
Tennis fans camped out overnight in the Wimbledon queue
Fans are seen queuing at the entrance to Wimbledon today
Ground staff make final court preparations on day one of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club
Tennis fan Dan Barker, 23, (left) who camped out overnight in the Wimbledon queue with his parents Julia and Dan Barker (right) is pictured at his tent on day one of the championships
An excited tennis fan is pictured at her Wimbledon campsite this morning
Djokovic will also play his first match today as he starts his bid for his 24th Grand Slam singles title and eighth Wimbledon win, the latter of which would equal Roger Federer’s record.
Clare Balding will this year succeed Sue Barker to become the BBC’s face of Wimbledon after the latter called time on 30 years of presenting national coverage from the All England Club last summer.
Former England cricketer Isa Guha will share presenting duties and has backed MS Balding as an ‘ultimate professional’.
The competition will run from today to Sunday July 16.
The reigning women’s champion is Elena Rybakina, who won her first Slam trophy at the All England Club. She’ll open play tomorrow against American Shelby Rogers.
Top-ranked Świątek, who won her fourth major championship at the French Open, debuts today against Zhu Lin.
Players from Russia and Belarus are also back at Wimbledon this year. They were banned by the All England Club a year ago because of the attack on Ukraine launched by Russia, with the help of Belarus, in February 2022, but the tournament reversed course even though the war continues.
So No. 7 men’s seed Andrey Rublev, a Russian, and two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka, a Belarusian, are among those on today’s schedule.
Also slated to play today is Venus Williams, who is 43 and appearing at the tournament for the 24th time. She meets 2019 semifinalist Elina Svitolina, who recently returned after taking time off from the tour to have a baby, on Centre Court.
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