Courts And Toilet Breaks - Your Wimbledon Questions Answered

BBC Sport has been asking for your questions during Wimbledon 2025.

Hundreds of you person been successful touch and we've picked retired immoderate of nan champion to return a look at.

Read connected for penetration from our Ask Me Anything squad into scheduling secrets, bouncing balls, and bath breaks...

Michael successful York

Seven-time Wimbledon victor Djokovic whitethorn only beryllium nan sixth seed astatine this year's tournament, but his position arsenic a fable of nan athletics intends large crowds are still very keen to watch him - much truthful than immoderate of his higher-ranked rivals.

That intends that, much often than not, he is fixed highest billing.

The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), which operates nan Championships, told nan BBC: "The scheduling of nan bid of play each time is simply a analyzable operation. We return awesome attraction erstwhile scheduling matches and allocating courts. All decisions are made pinch fairness and nan champion interests of nan tournament, players, spectators and our worldwide broadcast assemblage astatine heart.

"Novak is simply a 24-time Grand Slam singles champion truthful that is surely a facet erstwhile scheduling."

The past clip Djokovic played anyplace different than Centre Court astatine Wimbledon was successful 2021, erstwhile he hit American subordinate Denis Kudla successful consecutive sets connected Court One.

He past played distant from nan 2 show courts successful 2018, erstwhile he hit Horacio Zeballos successful straights sets connected Court Two.

Natalie successful Surbiton

Yes, though they do their champion to debar it.

An umpire's occupation is to negociate a tennis lucifer arsenic efficiently arsenic possible, without impacting play. Therefore, taking a toilet break and delaying play is acold from ideal.

Umpires often restrict really overmuch they eat and portion earlier matches successful bid to debar having to return a bath break.

In fact, erstwhile Swedish umpire Mohamed Lahyani officiated nan longest lucifer successful Wimbledon history betwixt John Isner and Nicolas Mahut successful 2010, he did not return a bath break astatine immoderate point.

But sometimes, quality calls - successful which lawsuit an umpire will purpose to support nan hold arsenic short arsenic possible.

Andy successful Northampton

Isner and Mahut whitethorn person produced nan longest ever lucifer successful Wimbledon history, but they didn't play nan longest individual game.

The longest crippled played successful nan singles astatine Wimbledon was betwixt Spaniard Tommy Robredo and Italy's Potito Starace successful nan first information successful 2004. Though 20th seed Robredo won successful consecutive sets, their lucifer included a crippled which reached a whopping 34 points.

The 2nd longest crippled was nan 32-point epic produced during nan 2023 last betwixt Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic. That lasted 26 minutes.

Djokovic had 8 crippled points connected serve, but was incapable to person immoderate of them, and Alcaraz managed to return advantage of his seventh break constituent connected his measurement to victory.

Amy successful Cambridgeshire

The fastest service ever recorded astatine Wimbledon was deed this twelvemonth by Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard during his first-round conclusion by Taylor Fritz.

The 6ft 8in 21-year-old smacked down a 153mph serve, though Fritz won nan point.

The fastest service ever recorded was 163.7mph - by Australian Sam Groth astatine nan 2012 Busan Open Challenger.

That arena is not recognised by nan elite ATP Tour. The fastest ever service astatine 1 of its competitions came from Isner during a 2016 Davis Cup necktie against Australia.

The fastest ever women's service was 136.7mph - by Spanish subordinate Georgina Garcia Perez astatine nan 2018 Hungarian Ladies Open, though nan fastest connected nan elite WTA Tour was from Sabine Lisicki of Germany, who deed a 131mph effort astatine Stanford successful 2014.

At Wimbledon, nan fastest women's service is nan 129mph Venus Williams achieved successful 2008.

The constituent astatine which service velocity is measured is conscionable aft it leaves nan racket.

Duncan successful Northampton

When athletes decorativeness a lucifer successful immoderate sports, they are interviewed by a newsman who stands successful adjacent proximity to them.

Not truthful astatine Wimbledon, wherever post-match interviews are conducted from a fewer feet away. The reason? Quite simply, truthful location is simply a clear position of nan players.

A cleanable changeable of nan players is amended for broadcast, some unrecorded astatine nan clip and besides for wider usage connected world news sum and societal media feeds successful nan aftermath.

Katie successful Shrewsbury

New tennis balls are utilized aft nan first 7 games of a match, past aft each 9 consequent games. New balls are utilized truthful that aged ones pinch reduced aerial unit from play do not discuss nan value of matches.

The AELTC estimates astir 55,000 balls are utilized per year.

Some aged balls are subsequently sold to nan public, pinch nan money raised going to nan Wimbledon Foundation. Others whitethorn beryllium donated to nan Lawn Tennis Association for distribution to tennis clubs.

Keith successful Poole

There is nary limit to really galore times a subordinate tin bounce nan shot earlier serving.

The mostly of players person a accordant ball-bouncing ritual - nan spot of nan bounces and nan number depends connected each player.

The bouncing serves nary applicable purpose, but is designed to assistance pinch concentration, giving nan subordinate a fewer seconds to attraction connected what benignant of service they are aiming to hit, to let nan crowd to quieten, and to create a hit betwixt nan shot and assemblage while calming immoderate nerves.

Two things can, however, restrict a player's bouncing of nan ball.

The first is nan changeable clock. From nan extremity of nan erstwhile point, nan server has 25 seconds to deed their first serve. Take longer and nan umpire tin telephone a violation. Violations tin yet lead to nan concession of a point. Umpires are mostly lenient pinch nan shot-clock norm unless a player's delays are particularly egregious.

If a subordinate is performing a peculiarly precocious number of bounces earlier serves, aliases feinting to service earlier continuing to bounce further, they could tie nan ire of an irritated opponent.

That happened erstwhile Chile's Nicolas Jarry complained astir British subordinate Cameron Norrie astatine this year's tournament.

Alisson successful Glastonbury

Some players connect mini silicone aliases rubber daze absorbers to nan strings of their rackets which are known arsenic dampeners.

There are 2 types of dampener - fastener (round) and worm (long but bladed and woven done strings).

They are utilized to trim nan level of vibration felt done nan racket each clip nan shot is struck, particularly if interaction is made off-centre.

The purpose is to summation nan player's comfortableness and supply a much muted, softened consciousness erstwhile connecting pinch a shot.

Dampeners besides change nan sound that is made erstwhile nan shot is struck - lowering nan high-pitch ping into a thud.

Not each subordinate uses a dampener, though. Some for illustration nan much earthy consciousness of bare strings.

For example, Roger Federer did not typically usage a dampener during his career, whereas Rafael Nadal did.

Marilyn successful London

The boys' and girls' tournaments astatine Wimbledon characteristic players aged betwixt 14 and 18 connected 1 January each year.

Junior players person nary prize money, but are awarded points which count towards their world inferior ranking.

Young players from astir nan world recreation to participate.

Of course, players beneath nan property of 18 tin participate successful nan elder Wimbledon tourney if they are classed highly enough, travel done nan qualifiers, aliases are fixed a wildcard.

Boris Becker was only 17 erstwhile he won nan men's singles successful 1985.

Some players moreover participate successful some nan inferior and elder categories - British 17-year-old Mimi Xu played successful some this year, for example.

Allan successful Aberdeen

Whether an correction is 'unforced' aliases not involves an constituent of subjectivity, but is mostly utilized to picture a changeable missed by a subordinate erstwhile they were successful afloat power of their assemblage and racket.

For example, if a subordinate is opinionated successful nan mediate of nan baseline and crashes a basal forehand against nan backmost wall, that would count arsenic an unforced correction arsenic they missed because of their ain error.

But if a subordinate is nether immense unit from their opponent, and yet misses a changeable aft being forced retired wide and hardly connecting pinch a powerfully struck shot, nan correction has been forced because their assemblage activity and racket plaything was heavy compromised by their rival's play.

Unforced correction totals are an absorbing measurement to measurement really good (or not) a subordinate is doing connected court.

Some players pinch a people much fierce style whitethorn beryllium much apt to rack up higher unforced correction totals than those who employment a much protect style.

Ask Me Anything is simply a work dedicated to answering your questions. Thanks, all!

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