Zeit Online | 13 July 2024 | Florian Goosmann (Translated)
(This article has been translated from the original German publication)
"There is no other tournament like this. The silence on the court during the points. The perfection in every little detail. The atmosphere. The feeling of history. It's a very special place," Andy Murray once said. And he would know. In 2013, Murray became the first Briton to win the world's oldest and most prestigious tennis tournament in 77 years.
Wimbledon is unique and its popularity extends far beyond the tennis scene. They call themselves “The Championships”. An absurd 40,000 flowers, mostly in the typical Wimbledon-colored green-violet, are planted on the grounds and meticulously cared for. The orderlies, the so-called stewards, wear suits. Likewise the linesmen. For many players, a win at Wimbledon always means a little more than at the Australian Open, French Open or US Open, which are actually on an equal footing. "You can't be considered a great player if you haven't won Wimbledon," Mats Wilander once said.
But Wimbledon has a problem. The home of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, or AELTC for short, which organizes the tournament, has become too small. The Grand Slam tournament in southwest London could be left behind from the other Grand Slams. In terms of area, it is the smallest of the four major tournaments.
Wimbledon is set to be almost three times as big
This is a problem, especially on the first days of the tournament: the outdoor courts, where many top players compete at the beginning, are overcrowded. There is hardly any space for spectators; on many courts there are only a few wooden benches. You can feel the tennis, but you tend to look over your shoulder now and then. If you got a ticket via the famous queue after queuing all night, you would be grateful for a seat at some point. But like the hosts of the French Open in Paris, the All England Club also has the disadvantage of being in the middle of a residential area. Simply expanding, as the Australian Open in Melbourne and US Open in New York did, is not that easy. In Paris, after various mental games, such as moving to Versailles or near Disneyland, they have at least won an additional space in the adjacent botanical garden, after long discussions with the city, residents and environmentalists.
Wimbledon now wants to follow suit, and not only that. They want to expand the tennis tournament in the neighboring Wimbledon Park, on the site of the golf club that the AELTC bought in 1993. To do this, the lease agreement with the golfers was bought out for an alleged £65 million. The current tennis facility covers 17 hectares and the golf club 30 hectares. Wimbledon is expected to be almost three times larger. "We want to secure the future of the tournament and significantly increase publicly accessible green spaces - it's a win-win for all Londoners. It will show beyond doubt that London is the sporting capital of the world," says Deborah Jevans, Chair of the AELTC .
Specifically, a third covered stadium is to be built on the new site, as well as 38 additional grass pitches and buildings for players and staff. A public park is planned, 300 trees are to be felled and 1,500 new trees are to be planted. The project will cost almost 250 million pounds and is expected to take eight years to build.
“We want to give every visitor the best experience when they come to Wimbledon,” says Dominic Foster, Corporate Affairs Manager at AELTC. You don't necessarily plan for significantly more visitors. 42,000 people per day are currently the maximum at the facility; after the expansion, 50,000 tennis fans should be allowed in. “Our main concern is to bring qualification to the tournament site,” says Foster. The preliminary tournament, through which players outside the top 100 in the world can play their way into the Wimbledon main draw, has so far been held in Roehampton, five kilometers away. A place of worship for many fans - but the area is only leased.
We're talking about more than 40,000 truck trips
The players would also make it clear that they would rather play in the real Wimbledon, on the actual tournament facility, like at the other majors, says Foster. The aim is also to improve the experience for fans and make access to training easier. Because more and more people want to experience the stars outside of their matches. The current training area, Aorangi Park at the northern end of the facility, is very small and spectators have to queue to be able to see a few places at some point. “When you come to the new facility, you should experience tennis straight away,” says Foster.
But some Wimbledon residents don't like the club's plans. A group has come together under the Save Wimbledon Park initiative and collected around 20,000 signatures. Together they want to prevent the expansion. Everything is too oversized, they worry about their park. “London has almost ten million inhabitants, green spaces are essential for health and quality of life, for animals and plants,” says Sophia Browning. She grew up in Germany, moved back to England as a teenager and lives with her family on Wimbledon Park Road, which borders the park. She does not accept the fact that, according to the Wimbledon Tennis Club's new plans, more new trees will be planted than felled. “It takes years to decades for them to grow.” Browning and many others fear the eight-year construction period, which would require more than 40,000 truck trips through the middle of the residential area with kindergartens and schools.
Is size everything?
Wimbledon also made false promises. The AELTC once bought the golf course for a mere five million pounds because it was clear that no building was allowed on it. It is a protected urban green space. This was also clearly communicated at the time of purchase. It's no problem that tennis should be played here in the future - there was also golf before. But in addition to the tennis courts, they also want to build buildings. “And a stadium in the dimensions of the Royal Albert Hall,” says Browning.
Two courts have already heard the case. Wimbledon cites “very special circumstances” under which construction is allowed in the park. Merton Council (responsible for the south of the area) gave the green light in late 2023, saying the significant public benefits would clearly outweigh the risks. Wandsworth Council (responsible for the north of the area) voted against the plans. The development of the park is inappropriate and would cause considerable damage to the site; there are no very special circumstances. On the contrary: the proposed development would result in a net loss of open space and green infrastructure without providing a replacement.
Everyone should soon be able to play on some courses.
That's exactly not the case, says Andy Wayro. He is the AELTC's Senior Landscape and Environment Manager and development lead for the project. A 9.3 hectare newly created park for the public is planned at the southern end of Wimbledon Park, as well as a 1.7 hectare parkland in the north. They also want to purify the lake as gently as possible and increase the biodiversity of the entire Wimbledon Park. He does not accept the argument that too many tennis courts would be built, more than necessary. In the other Grand Slam tournaments, on clay and hard courts, the surfaces would not wear out. "It's different on grass, we need a lot of pitches." But at least seven, he says, should be reserved for the public when the tournament is over. Anyone can book a place. “You can then open
play on a real Wimbledon court."
But the new park for the public is another point of contention. It is labeled as permissive, meaning it belongs to the tennis club, which wants to make it available to the general public. “But what if the club also needs this space in a few years?” says Sophia Browning. Wayro points out that "permissive parks" are common in England and that one has access even though the parks are privately owned and maintained. He also rejects the fact that they are not interested in an exchange of ideas, as accused by the Save Wimbledon Park Initiative. When planning the entire project, a lot of opinions were sought, tours through the park were offered and the plans were adjusted accordingly. However, there must be good reasons for a major change. "Simply saying we want you to change your entire plans is not a good reason."
The Mayor of London is now dealing with the case and a decision is not expected until autumn at the earliest. And even then it could continue, potentially all the way to the Supreme Court, Browning fears.
Above all, she is sad about the now clouded relationship with the tennis club in Wimbledon. Because that was always constructive. "The people here love tennis, they grew up with it. And the exchange was always good." In recent years, however, under the new management, the tone has changed. And size really isn't everything: "The fans like that Wimbledon is like a small village, with its cozy character. Wimbledon is also so unique."