WIMBLEDON, England — Wimbledon is considering a calendar change that would have the tournament begin three weeks after the French Open instead of two, and top players like the idea of more time between the two Grand Slam events.
The proposed switch has appeal because it would give players more opportunity to adjust to grass after the clay season ends with the French Open, All England Club chief executive Richard Lewis said. The earliest the change could take place is 2014.
Players have long lobbied for more time between the French Open and Wimbledon. Grand Slam champions such as Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer could use an extra week to get used to the faster grass surface, 2002 Wimbledon winner Lleyton Hewitt said Tuesday.
“The grass court season has always been too short,” Hewitt said. “It’s pretty tough for guys like Rafa, Djokovic and that to bounce back a couple of weeks after the French and expect them to play their best tennis.”
Djokovic agreed the change would help those who advance deep into the French Open and thus have little time off before Wimbledon.
While Nadal is the king of clay as a seven-time French Open champion, he said he would be fine with another week on grass.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.