The Wimbledon men's singles final will be held at 2pm Sunday, with the WC final set to kick off at 4pm.GETTY IMAGES
As England "swelters through one of the hottest summers on record," it is likely Wimbledon officials are "also sweating about a scheduling nightmare on Sunday," according to Courtney Walsh of THE AUSTRALIAN. England’s progression to the World Cup semifinals "has not had an impact on attendances at Wimbledon to date," with capacity crowds at SW19 when the national team beat Sweden in the quarterfinals on Saturday. But there was a "stark difference" in TV audiences and "should things go to plan" for the English football team and the two most successful men in tennis, an "awkward confrontation awaits." At 2pm (11pm AEST) on Sunday local time, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal could step onto Centre Court for a "highly-anticipated decider." A 10th grand slam final between the pair, should it eventuate, "would normally be a ratings bonanza." But if England trumps Croatia in Wednesday's semifinal, it will play for its first World Cup since '66 "in a decider starting two hours after the men’s final begins." Federer, 36, took a "facetious approach" when asked about the prospect. He said, "I'm more concerned the World Cup final will have issues because the Wimbledon final is going on. ... The (soccer) players are going to look up in the crowd and not understand what's going on at Wimbledon." A refusal to reconsider the start time of the men's final could lead to a "massive backhander" in terms of TV throughout England and have a "huge impact on TV ratings internationally" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 7/11).
