The reigning men's champion begins on Center Court on the first Monday of Wimbledon each year.GETTY IMAGES
Wimbledon on Monday "slapped down Chris Evert's suggestion" that the women's final should replace the men's title match in closing the Championships, according to the AFP. Evert, 63, who won 18 Grand Slam singles titles, including three at Wimbledon, said that the women's final "could close the show" at the All England Club, adding that the current setup, with the men's final always on the last day, was "definitely not equal." But Wimbledon CEO Richard Lewis said that the schedule was "not about to budge." The men's champion opens proceedings on Center Court on the first Monday, with the women's champion up first on the 15,000-seat showcourt on Tuesday. The women's final is played on the second Saturday, with the men's final on the second Sunday. Evert said that the tradition of having the men's final close the Championships was a "throwback" to a time when women were "second-class citizens." Evert: "I think it could change. In a lot of ways, it's a mirror of the world. It's still a man's world" (AFP, 7/2). REUTERS' Pritha Sarkar reported Lewis said that there is "no need to change" the Championships' format. He said, "There is a long history and tradition of the men's singles champion opening up at 1pm on Center Court on the Monday and the focus on the ladies' singles champion starting on the Tuesday. It works very well. We've always been very proud of having standalone quarterfinals, semifinals and finals of the ladies singles as we think it gives a great focus on the ladies singles event, and the final on a Saturday works very well" (REUTERS, 7/2).
HOTTEST TOURNAMENT: In London, Alex Martin reported Wimbledon got off to a "perfect start" on Monday morning, with forecasters predicting it "could be a record-breaking tournament when it comes to temperatures." The best tennis players in the world "usually descend on Wimbledon expecting rain delays." Instead, they face having to play up to five sets in "record-breaking temperatures with an ongoing heatwave expected to continue throughout the two weeks." As a result, we "could be set for the hottest Wimbledon ever," breaking a record that has stood for 42 years. In '76, the average daily temperature in South West London hit 30.8 degrees Celsius (87.4 degrees F), while the hottest single day came in '15 when the mercury hit a "sweltering" 35.7 degrees C (96.2 degrees F). Current forecasts predict temperatures to hit around the 30C mark in each of the first six days, but weather models "predict it could get even hotter as the competition moves into its latter stages next week" (DAILY MAIL, 7/2).
