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WIMBLEDON, England – On Sunday night, Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic, appeared in front of the central court after defeating Roger Federer and explained that his long-term plan was to continue to improve and improve. to enrich one's heritage.
On Monday afternoon, Richard Lewis, the tournament's general manager, stood in front of an aerial photo and explained that Wimbledon had its own long-term plan.
The All England Club, which owns and operates the oldest Grand Slam tennis tournament, continues to grow. The most visible addition this year was the Court # 1 Retractable Roof, giving Wimbledon a weather-resistant complement to the Center Court, equipped with a roof in 2009.
But these projects have been of minimal magnitude compared to those coming as Wimbledon prepares to expand on the other side of Church Road.
In December, the club finalized the purchase of the lease for the Wimbledon Park Golf Club, which will triple the All England Club's footprint to approximately 120 42 acres.
"It's such an opportunity and a pleasure to be able to talk," Will we have too much space? "Said Lewis.
The club will take possession of the majority of the new field in December 2021 and the rest probably in 2022 or 2023.
Detailed plans are still being developed, options being discussed. Will they dig tunnels under Church Road to reunite the two parts of Wimbledon? Will the road be closed during the tournament?
But what is clear is that a lot of turf pitches will be built on the new site, which will allow the club to qualifying tournament at Wimbledon instead of its current location located about four miles to Roehampton.
This could happen in time for the 2024 tournament.
Djokovic will be 37, while Federer was the same age on Sunday when he pushed Djokovic to the brink of defeat, but he failed to convert two match points to the fifth set.
Djokovic, showing his now iconic grain, continued win the longest singles final of Wimbledon in history, 7-6 (5), 1-6, 7-6 (4), 4-6, 13-12 (3).
The tiebreaker for the fifth set at 12 points – new for Wimbledon this year – was instituted to prevent ultramarathon matches that could wreak havoc on the calendar and the players' ability to recover. Lewis said that when Last fall, Wimbledon had chosen to present the tiebreaker for the final. A serious debate took place over whether the finals should be exceptions.. But the tournament management has chosen to maintain consistency on all matches.
Lewis also said that he was happy that Wimbledon decided not to take the conventional path and get to a tiebreaker in the final at 6-6.
"I have to admit I was standing 6 minutes from the edge of the field, and I thought there was a lot left in this game, and I'm really glad we did not do it now," said Lewis. "I think it takes time to get used to 12-all, but I thought that the level of tennis was incredibly good, and one of the factors was that Roger and Novak were not good at it. They did not have to worry about not getting in. They knew that there was a line of arrival.
It is remarkable that Djokovic was able to resist an inspired Federer for 4 hours and 57 minutes and that he also remains inspired by this last stage of his career.
"I hope to give others a chance to believe at 37, it's not over yet," Federer said at the awards ceremony.
Djokovic was quietly looking across the central court, the champion's trophy at his fingertips, as Federer answered questions from Sue Barker of the BBC. When it was Djokovic's turn, he sent a clear message.
"Roger said he hoped to give other people a chance to believe that they could do it at age 37," said Djokovic. "I am one."
It would be a turning point in the golden era if Federer had the lasting ability to compete for the major trophies, which would give Djokovic the conviction that he could beat Federer's records with 20 Grand Slam singles and 310 singles. weeks in total.
But this scenario seems more and more likely, Djokovic recovering as the best big-game player of the sport after two years of recession between the conquest of his first title in Roland Garros in 2016 and his victory at Wimbledon in 2018.
For the moment, he has 16 major titles in singles and has spent 260 weeks in first place. He will remain No. 1 before the United States Open, the next Grand Slam tournament, which begins at the end of August.
"I do not really consider age as a restriction of any kind, at least for me," said Djokovic, the reigning champion of the American Open. "It does not only depend on me. It depends on the circumstances of life. I am not just a tennis player. I am a father and a husband. You have to balance things. Obviously, it is necessary to have the right circumstances, the right support, for things to go smoothly. "
Support remains a problem for Djokovic, who had to play in front of vocally pro-Federer crowds in what would normally be neutral venues of the Grand Slam. But Djokovic ignored partisan fervor and defeated Federer in the 2015 US Open final and the 2014, 2015 and 2019 finals at Wimbledon.
Djokovic was the bad guy at Wimbledon before. Andy Murray sent him with surprising ease in the consecutive sets of the 2013 final to become the first Briton in 77 years to win the title in singles.
You may think that British tennis fans would feel gratitude to Djokovic. Apparently not much. Federer's beautiful game, his great personality and his emotional status as a big old man mean that Djokovic is, for the moment, the number 1 on the board in stands like Center Court.
"I have no obligation to play," said Djokovic about tennis. "I play because I really love him and I have the support of the closest people in my life. As long as that is so, I hope that in five years I will be able to hear the same songs. "
From here, many will have changed. Federer will surely have ended his career and will be free to ski with his children in Switzerland instead of looking at the slopes to avoid injuries.
From here, the new Wimbledon, very extensive, should be in place. And the new and expensive roof of the No. 1 court will surely have been much more useful than in 2019, when it was closed only from time to time to soften the light, and never for rain during a tournament on a clear and pleasant day.
"I'll take a couple of days without rain every year," Lewis said with a chuckle. "But I do not have any illusions. The roof will be very useful. "
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