After Wimbledon outside court matches get packed for the opening four days of the tournament, attention centers around the stadium environments on the show courts. With thousands of fans resorting to a grounds pass due to prices and the brutal queue, many fans are exposed to doubles for the latter two-thirds of the action at SW19. This year’s tournament will be slightly different, with a new format, more expected fans, and more singles players.
Wimbledon Doubles
The Men’s Doubles Tournament: A New Format
Previously, compared to the other three Grand Slams, winning the men’s doubles event at Wimbledon was noticeably superior to others. Many have argued that doubles fail to enact any attention other than championship weekend, yet Wimbledon tended to be an exception due to a best-of-five format. However, the Wimbledon board altered the best-of-five format and elected to change it to the commonly used best-of-three. Fans will be introduced to a new style of Grand Slam doubles, with a best-of-three format providing pros and cons.
While this decision was praised by many singles stars who could now add doubles to their tournament without the risk of taxing one’s physical health, it takes away the special charm that best-of-five has. Throughout the singles field, unique four to five-hour matches are the ones players remember forever. It’s also easy to forget that most doubles entries at Wimbledon make up doubles specialists. They devote their training and energy to Grand Slam doubles tournaments. Some could unfairly argue these players are stars that “couldn’t make it” onto the ATP singles tour, but having these players get the opportunity to play a five-setter creates long-lasting memories.
Wimbledon’s Doubles Event easily attracts the most fans:
At the same time, Wimbledon offers a more doubles-friendly environment than other Slams, yet arguably not for the best reasons. This is due to the grounds pass opportunities provided by the All-England Club, which notably offers less court access compared to other Grand Slams. Many of these fans come from the queue, a whole other intriguing storyline ubiquitous throughout Southwest London.
At the US Open, a grounds pass ticket allows fans to sit in the upper concourse of Grandstand and Louis Armstrong Stadium, the third and second largest stadiums, respectively. Wimbledon, on the other hand, has a more stringent structure that closes off most of the tickets to pre-paid ticket buyers. A slight portion of Court 3 tickets are open-seating, but these seats fill up dramatically fast. Due to this, many of the fans can only watch doubles throughout the next week and a half. Only Courts 18 and 12 offers singles matches in the third round, with typically two of the four matches featuring singles. These players are usually unseeded fairy tales, all while the two courts aren’t that big.
More Singles Players: A Theme or a Lucky Occasion?
Connecting to the shorter doubles format, more singles players may feel more comfortable playing doubles. Doubles prize money has increased over the years, acting as a stipend for singles players. It also provides a slightly lower-pressure environment, especially for singles players potentially dejected after an early-round loss. Some of the singles players entering doubles: Sloane Stephens, Donna Vekic, Fransisco Cerundolo, Casper Ruud, and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. Neither of these players has entered in more than three Grand Slam doubles tournaments over their entire careers.
Day 1 Recap
Combining the ground pass dilemma and new format, it’ll be interesting paying attention to the new doubles event. The doubles draw began on Thursday, with only a couple of matches completed due to back-ups precipitated by weather delays.
Court No. 12 arguably hosted the best match of the day, with an epic match concluding just prior to sunset. Jamie Murray and Michael Venus won 6-4 3-6 6-4 against David Vega Hernandez and Albano Olivetti, surrounded by a nearly full court. It’s true that the match would never finish that night had it been a best-of-5 match, but the pros and cons of a new format definitely provide for some discussion. On the women’s side, Ekaterina Alexandrova and Zhaoxuan Yang provided the first upset of the doubles tournament. The pair took out fourth seed Nicole Melichar and Ellen Perrez 6-4 7-6(7).
Ultimately, given Wimbledon’s queue and packed attendance, doubles isn’t a write-off as it often is during other tournaments. It will certainly be interesting to see how these new elements affect the biggest doubles tournament out there.
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports
