The first day (Monday, June 30) of Wimbledon 2025 produced some exciting matches, though a few of them were left incomplete. Taylor Fritz, Alexander Zverev, Matteo Arnaldi and Shintaro Mochizuki’s first-round matches were suspended while Zheng Qinwen didn’t even get to step on the court. This happened due a curfew in place at the All England Club.
While playing into the wee hours of the night is a regular occurrence at other Majors, the night-time curfew rules prevents that from happening at Wimbledon. All play for the day must be stopped by 11:00 p.m. sharp. If a match is left unfinished, then it will be completed the next day. The curfew has been in place since 2009 when the roof was installed on Centre Court.
Since the tournament takes place in a residential area, one of the conditions of getting the roof constructed was to maintain decorum in the neighborhood. This led to the 11:00 p.m. deadline, to ensure that spectators don’t linger in the area in the middle of the night to disturb the peace. This was also done to ensure people are able to get home safely.
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"The 11pm curfew is a Planning Condition applied to balance the consideration of the local residents with the scale of an international tennis event that takes place in a residential area. The challenge of transport connectivity and getting visitors home safely is also a key consideration," - statement from Wimbledon officials.
Wimbledon with its many rules and traditions stands out from the other three Majors, with the curfew being one of such rules. While play at SW19 is supposed to wrap up by 11:00 p.m., matches start even after midnight at other Slams. Aryna Sabalenka and Ekaterina Alexandrova's third-round match at the US Open 2024 got underway at 12:08 a.m., setting the record for the latest start at the tournament.
However, sometimes the curfew rules are followed too strictly. Even if there's a possibility of finishing the match, the proceedings are brought to a halt. Fritz's first-round match featured the same dilemma.
Taylor Fritz to resume his comeback bid at Wimbledon 2025 on Tuesday
Matches that were suspended on Monday (June 30) at Wimbledon 2025 will be completed on Tuesday (July 1). Taylor Fritz's first-round match against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard was stopped around 10:20 p.m. after the end of the fourth set. The American dropped the first two sets but came roaring back to claim the next two sets. They could've wrapped up the match in the next 40 minutes, leaving fans and players frustrated.
Alexander Zverev, meanwhile, avoided going down two sets to love after saving set points to take the second set against Arthur Rinderknech. Shintaro Mochizuki's comeback was also suspended due to the curfew. He leveled his first-round match against Guilio Zeppieri after losing the first two sets.
Botic van de Zandschulp was one set away from victory against Matteo Arnaldi when the proceedings were brought to a halt. Zheng Qinwen and Katerina Siniakova remained unaffected by the curfew, though the winner of the match will have to play two days in a row. Whoever wins the match will face Naomi Osaka on Wednesday, July 2.
