The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) has revealed details of the first test event for Wimbledon’s No.1 Court, which is being fitted with a new roof as part of extensive renovation work.
Former Wimbledon champions Martina Navratilova and John McEnroe are the first players confirmed to participate in The No.1 Court Celebration in support of the Wimbledon Foundation, on May 19.
The event will be an exhibition of tennis and music and will test No.1 Court’s roof and air management system. A capacity crowd of 12,000 is expected for the event, with proceeds from ticket sales to be donated to the Wimbledon Foundation, the official charity of the Club and The Championships, and charities chosen by participating players.
The event will feature three tennis matches interspersed with live music performances, with several more former champions set to be confirmed in due course.
AELTC chairman Philip Brook said: “We are delighted to be hosting this special event to celebrate the unveiling of the No.1 Court roof and raise funds for some important charitable causes. We are very excited to be welcoming John and Martina to participate in the event as yet another milestone in their long histories with the AELTC and we look forward to announcing more players and some truly memorable entertainment in the coming weeks and months.”
Tickets for the event, which will be broadcast live on the BBC, will cost £110 (€121/$140).
The No.1 Court’s roof installation is set to cost £71m and the project has formed the main part of Wimbledon’s ‘Master Plan’ initiative.
Image: Wimbledon
