This year’s Wimbledon men’s final between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, is due to kick off at 4pm, a two-hour delay from the traditional 2pm start on Saturday and Sunday. The tournament organisers have revised the schedule for this year’s event.

The doubles finals, which were previously held after the singles matches and trophy ceremonies, will now get underway at 1pm. All England Club CEO Sally Bolton stated that the change is intended to attract the “largest possible worldwide audience.”

When announcing the changes last October, Bolton said: “We have adjusted the provisional schedule for the final weekend of The Championships with the ambition of improving the experience for all involved.

“The doubles players competing in the finals will have increased certainty over their schedule and fans will enjoy each day’s play as it builds towards the crescendo of the ladies’ and gentlemen’s singles finals, with our champions being crowned in front of the largest possible worldwide audience.”

BBC executives are likely hoping for a boost in viewership numbers due to the later start time, particularly after seeing a significant drop in 2024, according to the Express, reports Wales Online.

The 2024 finals saw a dip in television viewership, with Barbora Krejcikova’s victory over Jasmine Paolini attracting 400,000 fewer peak spectators than the 2023 final where Marketa Vondrousova was triumphant.

Last year’s men’s final had Carlos Alcaraz winning in straight sets against Novak Djokovic, yet this match didn’t come close to the viewership numbers from their previous encounter, which drew an additional 3.8 million viewers.

The potential for disruption due to a delayed start time has been a topic of concern, particularly if the best-of-five sets men’s final drags on. This issue was underscored by the lengthy French Open final, where Alcaraz saved three championship points to defeat Jannik Sinner in a gruelling five-hour and 29-minute battle.

Alcaraz and Sinner are poised for a rematch in Sunday’s championship match.

At Wimbledon, there’s also the possibility of having to pause the game to close the roof and turn on the floodlights if play extends into the late evening.

Addressing these concerns, Bolton remarked: “We spent a lot of time considering the data and information in front of us from history and length of matches.”

Additionally, the 11pm curfew at Wimbledon could pose challenges in the event of an exceptionally long match.

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