Overview
- The outage that hit Roehampton on Wednesday left the electronic line-calling system unable to function and forced qualifying to stop for more than an hour while systems were recalibrated and power was restored.
- The All England Club kept ballkids off duty because of the red heat warning and used adult Court Services staff to perform ball duties during the extreme temperatures.
- Play resumed after the technical fix but the delay contributed to Dan Evans losing in qualifying, ending his singles career, and disrupted several other matches across the 18-court Roehampton site.
- High-profile entry news during the build-up includes Serena Williams accepting the final singles wildcard and a doubles spot with Venus, Carlos Alcaraz withdrawing with a wrist injury, and Novak Djokovic’s unexplained late removal from a Hurlingham exhibition.
- Wimbledon’s long-term practice of holding qualifying off-site leaves players exposed to weather and operational risks now on view, and organisers say they will review the heat event and the power loss ahead of the main draw starting June 29.