Wimbledon roof test a sticky business

When the idea of Wimbledon adopting a heat policy was raised - jocularly at first - the incongruity was not lost on the All England Club. But while people used to get hot under the collar when watching Tim Henman, the supporters could be overheating for real.
As they pored over the evidence from Sunday's test event, the authorities would have noted that, with the Centre Court roof tightly shut, it does get a bit toasty in there. “The plan was to replicate a decent summer's day,” Ian Ritchie, the chief executive, said. “What you don't want is air-conditioning systems that blast out huge amounts of cold air and everyone is freezing. We were aware that it was warm and there is flexibility as to the temperatures we can set.”
Ritchie pointed out that it was a chill, showery day - “exactly what we wanted to test everything out” - and most of the 15,000 spectators had brought overcoats, just in case the roof sprang a leak.
In late June, when the sun is higher in the sky, the patrons will dress accordingly. But it would be another Wimbledon milestone should the principal complaint of those on Centre Court on a rainy day be that their clothes had stuck to the new, wider padded seats.
That aside, there was nothing but relief and contentment, with the surface behaving a treat, the roof closing a couple of minutes quicker than the ten-minute estimate and the players united in their belief that the roof will enhance, not detract from, the quality of the sport.
“To tell you the truth, I was a little concerned,” said Andre Agassi, the 1992 champion, who participated in Sunday's celebration with Steffi Graf, his wife. “I don't move as well as I used to, but I didn't slip once, the court had a very solid feel to it and the acoustics were really magnificent. I believe we shall see some spectacular tennis on the Centre Court at future Wimbledons because the players will know that they can count on the conditions when the roof is closed.”
A couple of pigeons found their escape route blocked when the cover was drawn - the same happens at the Australian Open as birds wonder where the sky went - but as Ritchie said there is little that anyone can do until it is opened again. “We are not here this morning looking at the need for major remedies,” he said. “We needed to have this event when we did in case we needed time to adjust anything but all went as well as we could have hoped. Eddie Seaward, our head groundsman, was delighted with the state of the court and that was always the most important thing.”
Maria Sharapova, the former world No1, made a winning return to singles competition yesterday after nine and a half months out with a shoulder injury. The Russian, whose ranking has slipped to No126, beat Tathiana Garbin, of Italy, 6-1, 6-7, 6-3 in the first round of the Warsaw Open. Anne Keothavong, the British No1, joined Sharapova in round two after beating Bethanie Mattek-Sands, the American, 6-2, 7-6.
Source:The times