The commentary provided was given by Matt Doyle a former Irish-American professional tennis player and Jim Sherwin a former RT newsreader. The highest average figure for a Wimbledon final was 17.3 million when Bjorn Borg beat John McEnroe in 1980. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 Wimbledon was cancelled, the first cancellation of the tournament since World War II. 1 Ashleigh Barty taking on Karolina Pliskova in a tantalizing battle. Usually, wild cards are players who have performed well during previous tournaments or would stimulate public interest in Wimbledon by participating. Centre Court usually hosts the finals and semifinals of the main events, as well as many matches in the earlier rounds involving top-seeded players or local favourites. [60] They serve for one, or if re-selected, for up to five tournaments, up to year thirteen. The Club tested the new roof at an event called A Centre Court Celebration on Sunday, 17 May 2009, which featured exhibition matches involving Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf, Kim Clijsters, and Tim Henman. [103] ESPN took over as the cable-television partner in 2003. The Championship was first televised in 1937. Rose pedals and football, that's what Pasadena does . The court was said to have had a unique, more intimate atmosphere and was a favourite of many players. To obtain planning permission, the playing surface is around 3.5m below ground level, ensuring that the single-storey structure is only about 3.5m above ground level, and thus not affecting local views. The Gentlemen's Singles champion is presented with a silver gilt cup 18.5inches (about 47cm) in height and 7.5inches (about 19cm) in diameter. In 2016, the total prize money of 28,100,000 was a 5% increase on the 2015 prize money. Coverage is now shown on BBC One and Two's HD feeds. At the time the relocation was regarded as something of a financial gamble, costing as it did approximately 140,000. Ratings skyrocketed as millions of viewers worldwide tuned in to the marathon title clash between Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. HBO Guides, program schedules, 1975 to 1999, excluding players representing Russia and Belarus, List of British finalists at Grand Slam tennis tournaments, List of Wimbledon gentlemen's singles champions, List of Wimbledon ladies' singles champions, List of Wimbledon gentlemen's doubles champions, List of Wimbledon ladies' doubles champions, List of Wimbledon mixed doubles champions, List of Wimbledon singles finalists during the Open Era, "Traditional Final: It's Nadal and Federer", "Djokovic describes Wimbledon as "the most prestigious event", "Wimbledon Tennis 2013: Why Historic Tournament Is Most Prestigious Grand GMR Slam", "What Is The Most Prestigious Grand Slam Tennis Tournament? Successful candidates then commence a training phase, starting in February, in which the final BBGs are chosen through continual assessment. Then you can access your favorite statistics via the star in the header. The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club is a private club founded on 23 July 1868, originally as "The All England Croquet Club". Thats 50% more than the 2.07 million viewers recorded during the Mens final the following day between Novak Djokovic and local favourite Juan Martin del Potro. This technology determines whether the ball bounces in bounds or out. At the northern end of the grounds is a giant television screen on which important matches are broadcast to fans inside the grounds without tickets to the relevant court. The losers in the earlier singles rounds of the tournament saw a highest 62% increase in their pay while the total prize money of the doubles increased by 22%.