LONDON | Wimbledon’s legendary center court celebrates its 100th anniversary. Tournament directors held a special ceremony on Sunday to mark the stadium’s centenary.
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Several distinguished guests were present on the ground for the occasion. The organizers are also kind enough to invite refugees from Ukraine, Afghanistan and Syria. A beautiful moment.
We were treated to several highlights, including the presentation of several former Wimbledon champions. The most applauded? Roger Federer. He got a standing ovation.
“I had the chance to play several games on the central during my career. It’s weird to be here, but in a different role, Federer mentioned. I hope to be back soon. My match against Simpras in 2001 and my first victory in 2003 against Mark Philippoussis are my fondest memories on this pitch.
We noted several absentees during this portion. Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Steffi Graff and Serena Williams were conspicuous by their absences.
The same signature
The center of Wimbledon is unique. It was not always able to accommodate 15,000 spectators like today.
It was built in 1922 after the tournament moved to Wimbledon. He was the focal point of the site.
In October 1940, the stadium was bombed during the Second World War. Nearly 1200 seats are destroyed. The tournament resumed operations in 1946, but the damage suffered during the war was repaired a few years later.
Over the years, the central has undergone several modifications in order to satisfy the customers who came to its stands. The seating capacity has been increased several times in order to meet demand.
In 1992 they carried out work so that 3000 seats no longer had an obstructed view of the pitch due to the pillars that supported the roof.
However, this does not prevent the postponement and cancellation of matches due to rain. In 2009, the directors of the All England Club inaugurated the retractable roof.
great matches
The central was the place of great matches. Some have marked the imagination.
Who does not remember the clash between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in 2008? At that time, Nadal had ended the dominance of the Swiss who had just won the last five editions.
My most beautiful memory of the central? My first visit before the tournament in 2019. It was like entering a temple. A beautiful moment.
During that year, I had the opportunity to attend two classics in the space of a few days. In the semi-finals, we were treated to another leading duel between Nadal and Federer.
In the final, Federer had crossed swords against Novak Djokovic. Everyone was on the end of their seats in the central, but also in the press room. The last round gave the right to very high level play. Djokovic had the last word.