Wimbledon's Curfew Policy - Connect2ConnectOnline July 10, 2025

Not many sports events have a set bedtime, but the Wimbledon tournament is an exception. This prestigious tennis event enforces a strict curfew, ending play by 11 p.m. every night. It’s the only one of the four Grand Slam tournaments that has this kind of rule.

Before the curfew was enforced, games would wrap up at sunset, when players couldn’t see the ball anymore, or umpires couldn’t make precise line calls. In 2009, the All England Club added a retractable roof to Centre Court. This change meant that matches were no longer dependent on the sun.

Another important aspect was the limitations related to transportation in and around the sports venue. According to BBC Sports’ FAQ about the tournament, public transport options for fans decrease later in the evening. It’s a 15-minute walk from the venue to the closest London Underground station, and on weekdays, the Tube stops running by midnight local time.

Unlike Wimbledon, the other three Grand Slams don’t have such a curfew. The French Open often starts matches after 8 pm, allowing people to catch the games after work. The Australian Open is held at Melbourne Park, which is away from the city and residential neighborhoods. The U.S. Open at Billie Jean King Tennis Center often features late matches as well. Both the U.S. and Australian Opens have games scheduled for later in the evening too.

The Wimbledon curfew recently gained attention when it led to the postponement of the final moments of play between World No. 4 Taylor Fritz and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard during their first-round match on June 30, 2025.

The two players had just completed the fourth set of what had turned into a five-set match, with each player winning two sets. After Fritz took the fourth set 7-6(6), the time was 10:18 p.m. While Fritz was eager to continue, Perricard preferred not to resume the match deep into the fifth set, likely due to the 11 p.m. curfew. The supervisor ultimately made the call to suspend play, leaving Fritz visibly frustrated.

The match picked up the next day, and Fritz clinched the final set 6-4, securing victory after being just two points away from elimination the night before. The final score was 6-7(6), 6-7(8), 6-4, 7-6(6), 6-4.

In 2019, Novak Djokovic’s semifinal against Rafael Nadal kicked off around 8 p.m. local time. Play was stopped after the third set tiebreak concluded at 11:02 p.m., and the match wrapped up the following day.

The tournament made a rare exception not too long ago, during a match in 2012 between Andy Murray and Marcos Baghdatis. Murray had already taken three sets and was leading 5-1 in the fourth set when the clock hit 11 p.m. Just as he was about to serve for the match, they decided to keep playing until 11:02 p.m., which allowed him to secure the set and win the match.

Other time limits at Wimbledon
Evenings see matches halted due to poor visibility after sunset. However, unlike the curfew, there’s no specific time to stop for bad light. On July 3, the Wimbledon match between Ben Shelton and Rinky Hijikata was postponed because the darkness was about to interfere with the electronic line calling (ELC) system. This year marked the introduction of the ELC at Wimbledon after 147 years of having human line-calling judges.

Floodlights typically allow play to continue late into the night for other sports, like cricket or football. Unfortunately, this isn’t a fix for Wimbledon’s outdoor courts; the grass becomes slippery at night as temperatures drop, leading to dew formation.

Broadcasting schedules don’t really affect Wimbledon neither the curfew nor the starting times. Matches on Centre Court kick off at 1:30 pm local time, which is later than other tournaments, giving spectators time for lunch. Matches on No. 1 Court start at 1 p.m., while outdoor court matches begin the earliest at 11 a.m. Even though it might seem inconvenient, some people see the curfew in a positive light.

Wimbledon’s Curfew Policy

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