Tennis: extension of Wimbledon site with 39 new courts, including one with 8,000 seats, approved

The Greater London Authority (GLA) has approved applications by the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), organisers of the Wimbledon Grand Slam in London (ENG), to transform the former Wimbledon Park Golf Course near the tournament site on 27/09/2024.

As part of this urban development project, a park covering almost 11 hectares will be created and made available to the public free of charge, with the exception of the period when the Wimbledon tournament is being held. This new area, where 39 tennis courts will be built, including an 8,000-seat stadium with a roof, will be used in particular to host the Wimbledon qualifying week, an event that until now has been held away from the tournament site, at the Community Sports Centre in Roehampton (London).

The Roehampton complex, located more than 5km from the Grand Slam host venue, can accommodate just 2,000 people a day, or 8,000 people for the four days of qualifying in 2024, whereas the Roland-Garros site (Paris 16^th arrondissement) welcomed 75,000 spectators for the qualifying week in the same year (over five days). With the new…