Wimbledon: What’s new for the 2019 Championships?

The eagerly anticipated Wimbledon Championships begin on Monday and this year’s tournament is set to be the most sustainable yet.

The 2019 Championships will be using only 100 per cent recyclable water bottles and will not be covering players’ rackets in plastic bags when they are restrung – meaning there will be 4,500 fewer plastic bags at this year’s tournament.

The move towards a more sustainable Championships was started almost a year ago, when the All England Club undertook a full review of its business and sought advice by employing an industry expert in the field.

A statement in the 2019 press guide said: “Sustainability is a key focus for us across all areas of The Championships, the Club and the Wimbledon Foundation as we heighten our efforts to play our part in protecting the environment.

“We have begun to focus on four key themes of energy, transport, food and drink, and waste. In addition to last year’s efforts, we are pleased to be implementing several changes for 2019 in our ongoing pursuit in this critical area.”

There will also be dozens of water stations across the site where fans visiting The Championships can fill up their personal water bottles, doing their own bit for the environment.

And if you’re one of the lucky few to have got a ticket through the ballot this year – or if you’ll be queuing through the night in Church Road to be at the greatest tennis show on earth, there are a few other changes to look out for.

Court No.1 will this year boast a new retractable roof, meaning if it does rain – and luckily the forecast is good so far, play can continue on Court No.1, as it can on Centre Court, until as late as 11pm. Court No.1 will also boast an increased capacity of 12,345 spectators this year.

This year also sees the launch of the Southern Village, a new public area in the south of the grounds featuring The Tennis Shop, food and drink outlets, a new Tennis Fan Experience, and Sustainability at Wimbledon activation space alongside No.2 Court and Court 12.

Within the Southern Village is the Rosewater Pavilion, the new Official Wimbledon Hospitality space inside the grounds, provided by official hospitality provider Keith Prowse.

And possibly the biggest change of all this year will be the introduction of a tie-break at 12 games all in the final set of all events, meaning matches such as the marathon 11hr 5min affair between John Isner and Nicola Mahut of a few years back are a thing of the past.

The qualifying tournament for the Championships was completed this afternoon and the draw for the main events will be made at 10am on Friday. Play will begin on the outside courts on Monday at 11am and on Centre and Court No.1 at 1pm.