The final weekend of Wimbledon is upon us, and that means that we have two star-studded finals to look forward to.
On Saturday, Iga Swiatek will play in her first-ever final at the All England Club, against the surprise package of this year’s Championships Amanda Anisimova, who stunned top seed Aryna Sabalenka in her semi-final.
On Sunday, it is a true clash of the titans in the men’s final as worlds No1 and No2 Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz lock horns in a re-run of their stupendous French Open final in June, where Alcaraz prevailed in five unbelievable sets to defend his title on the Parisian dirt.
This year, there has been a significant change of tradition at Wimbledon, with the two finals, usually slated at 2pm BST as Centre Court’s opening match on both days, have been moved to a 4pm BST start.
As such, the two doubles finals will now open play on both days, with the men’s doubles at 1pm BST on Saturday afternoon, and the women preceding the men’s singles final at 1pm BST on Sunday.
Why have they changed it?
Well, chief executive of the AELTC Sally Bolton said that it was with viewing figures across the globe in mind, with the tournament looking to reach the “largest possible worldwide audience”.
The rescheduling now means that the singles finals will be aired at 11am EST – the East Coast time zone.
The move also means that the doubles finals should house more spectators than in previous years, when most have left their seats after the conclusion of the two singles finals.
“We have adjusted the provisional schedule for the final weekend of The Championships with the ambition of improving the experience for all involved,” Bolton said.
“The doubles players competing in the finals will have increased certainty over their schedule and fans will enjoy each day’s play as it builds towards the crescendo of the ladies’ and gentlemen’s singles finals, with our champions being crowned in front of the largest possible worldwide audience.”
