Wimbledon's Centre Court roof closed due to rain

Published November 20, 2014

The retractable roof at Wimbledon's Centre Court was closed on Day 1 of this year's tournament because of rain.

Showers delayed play Monday at about 5 p.m. local time, when the match in the main stadium between 2010 French Open champion Francesca Schiavone and Jelena Dokic was at 1-all in the third set.

It took about 20 minutes for the roof to shut, and the match started again after a total delay of about 50 minutes, including time for Schiavone and Dokic to warm up.

While they resumed playing, rain was still delaying action on other courts at the All England Club.

The roof was added to Centre Court before the 2009 tournament and was used once that year because of rain. It was used once in 2010 because of darkness — artificial lights go on when the roof is closed — and occasionally to provide shade from the sun, but not because of rain.

URL

https://www.foxnews.com/sports/wimbledons-centre-court-roof-closed-due-to-rain