Wimbledon organisers have confirmed to the BBC that Sunday’s men’s singles final will not be moved even if England do reach the Fifa World Cup final.
The men’s final is scheduled to take place at 2pm on Sunday while the World Cup final starts two hours later at 4pm. England will reach the football showpiece if they beat Croatia in the semi-final on Wednesday.
The tennis grand slam event had been urged to move its men’s final start time, says The Daily Telegraph, over fears that there could be “15,000 empty seats” on Centre Court.
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But All England Lawn Tennis Club chief Richard Lewis told the BBC: “We have said for a couple of years that the final will be played at 2pm, as it is every year. We are a sold-out event and there’s massive interest. There are absolutely no plans to change anything.
“We are very excited about England’s success in the World Cup. We think it’s fantastic for the spirit of the nation and there was a very good atmosphere here on Saturday when England beat Sweden.
“We didn’t have one single complaint of anybody here feeling that the football interfered with their enjoyment of Wimbledon. We have free public Wi-Fi in many areas, so if people want to watch quietly on their phone or tablet they are able to do so.”
Lewis also confirmed that the big screen at Wimbledon is reserved for tennis, the BBC reports.