Seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic implores locals to allow the building of 39 new courts which he says will make the All England Club 'truly outstanding'
Novak Djokovic will surely be facing some tricky opponents over the coming days – but he may find there are none tougher than the SW19 locals.
The seven-time champion yesterday encouraged those living close to the All England Club to allow plans for Wimbledon to build 39 new courts on the famous site.
Djokovic, 38, was reacting to objections by residents which have held up the expansion project – which would include a third showcourt – for years.
The plans were rejected on the grounds the mixture of public and private courts, plus a 23-acre public park, would affect the 'openness' of a golf course owned by the club which has been closed to the public for a century.
Djokovic said Wimbledon is a 'special place', but delivering on their expansion will make it 'truly outstanding'.
He told The Mail on Sunday: 'Having the new courts and all the beautiful new parkland, on what was a golf course, is a real win for everyone in my opinion. I hope they can deliver it soon.'
While Angela Rayner and Wimbledon might not seem the most natural bedfellows, the Housing Secretary's move to relax planning rules is the club's best hope of breaking the impasse.
She has vowed to speed up the planning process to boost developments across the UK.
Backing Djokovic's call, four-time Wimbledon semi-finalist Tim Henman said: 'All other Grand Slams hold their qualifying events on their main site, which creates a sense of anticipation for players – an important part of the lead up to the main tournament that we'd like to also harness at Wimbledon.
'Qualifying is currently held on a leased site at Roehampton, which means we cannot invest in the long-term improvements that we need to provide a world- leading environment for those playing in qualifying.'
He added: 'This project will allow us to keep pace with the other Grand Slams and provide the best possible experience for players and spectators from around the world.'
A backer of the proposals said they would ' deliver one of the greatest sporting transformations for London since 2012', adding: 'They are crucial to ensuring Wimbledon remains at the pinnacle of tennis... and a global attraction for both London and the UK.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
11 minutes ago
- The Sun
Liverpool ready to offer winger to Crystal Palace in swap for £50m-rated Marc Guehi as transfer spree goes on
LIVERPOOL are ready to throw flying Scot Ben Doak into a swap deal for England star Marc Guehi. The Kop's transfer team are focusing on centre-half Guehi, 24, as their next target but Palace want around £50million for him. 3 3 Doak, 19, is fancied by Palace and rated in the £25m class despite his limited appearances outside a loan spell at Middlesbrough. He played 24 times in the Championship last term, scoring three times and assisting seven goals. Liverpool would offer the winger and cash to snap up Guehi but that will take a great deal of negotiating. Palace supremo Steve Parish is renowned for standing firm on valuations. Everton are keen on Doak but not at that price. Meanwhile, Guehi is letting his deal run down but has been relatively low-paid at Selhurst Park for some time — money is not his driving force. His deal is set to expire at the end of the 2025/26 campaign. Liverpool are not the only club interested in his services with Newcastle and Manchester United also keen. Arne Slot 's side are looking to add another centre-back to the squad with Jarell Quansah expected to leave. The Under-21 Euros winner with England is set to sign for Bundesliga giants Bayer Leverkusen. Quansah, 22, will have a medical with Erik ten Hag 's side on Monday ahead of a £30m switch, according to Fabrizio Romano. Liverpool have been active in the transfer market as they look to strengthen ahead of the Premier League title defence. The likes of Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez and Freddie Woodman have been welcomed through the doors at Anfield. 3
Daily Mail
12 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Is Keir already lining up his next U-turn? Starmer faces fresh rebellion from Labour MPs over his 'family farm tax'
Sir Keir Starmer has been put on notice of a fresh Labour rebellion over the Government's 'family farm tax'. More than 40 Labour MPs are said to be considering a bid to water down looming changes to agricultural and business inheritance tax relief. It comes after the Prime Minister performed a trio of embarrassing U-turns in recent weeks. Sir Keir has reversed his position on axing the winter fuel payment for millions of pensioners, a national grooming gangs inquiry, and welfare cuts. This has left Labour rebels feeling emboldened that they can force the Government into further policy changes. According to the Telegraph, a group of Labour backbenchers are considering using amendments to legislation to exempt small family farms from a planned tax raid. At last year's Budget, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced farmers will pay a 20 per cent rate of inheritance tax on land and property they inherit worth more than £1million. The Government has insisted the measures - dubbed the 'family farm tax' and set to be in place from April 2026 - will only affect the wealthiest quarter of landowners. But the National Farmers' Union (NFU) and others say the impact of Ms Reeves' measures will be much more widespread. Critics claim the move could wipe out family-run farms with tight margins, as they will be forced to sell up in order to pay death duties. There have been months of demonstrations by farmers in response to the Chancellor's tax raid, including tractor protests in Wesminster. A 'rural growth group' of Labour MPs is now proposing the raising of the £1million cut-off point at which estates lose their tax reliefs. They have suggested estates receive full tax relief on the value of agricultural properties up to £10million, 50 per cent to £20million, and nil thereafter. Sam Rushworth, Labour MP for Bishop Auckland, who is a member of the group, told the newspaper they would 'consider what amendments to put down'. Mr Rushworth said: 'We are all keen to avoid amendments. I don't want it to get to that point. I am a Labour MP and I broadly support the Government. 'I would like to see them bring forward different recommendations in the Bill.' Ex-Cabinet minister Louise Haigh, who was a leading rebel over the Government's now partially-reversed welfare cuts, has called for Sir Keir to 'reset' his relationship with the British public. 'I think this is a moment and an opportunity to reset the Government's relationship with the British public and to move forward, to adopt a different approach to our economic policy and our political strategy,' she told the BBC in the wake of the PM's climbdown on welfare changes. 'And I think that has been accepted from within government and a lot of people, both in the parliamentary Labour Party, but crucially, the country will really welcome that.' The Government's original welfare package had restricted eligibility for Personal Independence Payment (PIP), which is the main disability payment in England. It also cut the health-related element of Universal Credit. But, after Sir Keir offered concessions to rebel MPs, the changes to PIP will now only be implemented in November 2026 and apply to new claimants only. All existing recipients of the health element of Universal Credit will also have their incomes protected in real terms. A Government spokesman said: 'Our reforms to agricultural and business property relief are vital to fix the public services we all rely on. 'Three quarters of estates will continue to pay no inheritance tax at all, while the remaining quarter will pay half the inheritance tax that most people pay, and payments can be spread over 10 years, interest-free. 'We're investing billions of pounds in sustainable food production and nature's recovery, slashing costs for food producers to export to the EU and have appointed former NFU president Baroness Minette Batters to advise on reforms to boost farmers profits.'
Finextra
19 minutes ago
- Finextra
Deep Dive: Wise – Building a World of Money Without Borders: By Sam Boboev
Wise (formerly TransferWise) has quietly become one of fintech's biggest success stories, transforming how people and businesses send money across borders. From humble startup origins in 2011, Wise now moves over £145 billion internationally each year for 15+ million customers – at a fraction of the cost charged by banks. In doing so, Wise saved its users an estimated £2 billion in fees in FY2025 alone. It's a rare fintech that's both fast-growing and profitable, pursuing a bold mission encapsulated in its slogan: 'Money without borders – instant, convenient, transparent and eventually free.' This deep dive explores why Wise matters today – covering the massive market it's tackling, its journey and products, the technology and regulatory infrastructure under its hood, its recent financial performance, competitive landscape, and what customers and leadership are saying. A Massive Market Ripe for Disruption Moving money internationally has long been notorious for high costs and hassle. Over £22 trillion crosses borders each year, projected to reach £28 trillion by 2027 as globalization drives more migration, remote work, and global commerce. By Wise's own 2025 estimate, the number may be as high as £32 trillion annually. Historically, this market was dominated by big banks and legacy remittance providers relying on an antiquated correspondent banking network. International transfers often meant 'expensive, slow and inefficient service, reliant on outdated infrastructure,' as Wise's 2023 report bluntly puts it. Banks and incumbents like Western Union layered on fees and hidden exchange rate markups – profiting from customers' lack of transparency. The result: sending money abroad could cost 5-8% in fees (often not obvious upfront) and take days to arrive. Wise was founded to change this status quo. Its vision of 'Money Without Borders' is about making moving money 'as cheap, fast, and convenient as sending an email,' in the words of its co-founder. Wise's core innovation was using technology and clever account structures to eliminate intermediaries and hidden fees, giving users the real mid-market exchange rate and charging only a low upfront fee. As we'll see, this strategy is forcing the industry to evolve. Today, many fintechs and even banks are racing to offer cheaper, easier cross-border payments – yet traditional banks remain Wise's primary competitors, still handling the majority of cross-currency transactions. A growing field of digital challengers (from neobanks like Revolut to PayPal's Xoom and others) are also carving out niches. But Wise has a head start in scale, efficiency, and trust – built over a decade of singular focus on solving this problem. From Startup to Public Company Wise's origin story is a personal one. In 2011, two Estonian friends living in London – Kristo Käärmann and Taavet Hinrikus – grew frustrated with the 'massive problem' of bank fees on international transfers. They started TransferWise that year to help people send money abroad at the true exchange rate. The concept resonated: by 2014, having raised a $58 million Series C to expand globally, TransferWise launched in the US and Australia. The company hit major milestones quickly. It reached its first £1 billion transferred (cumulative) in 2014, and by 2017 was profitable with over £1 billion being moved every month through its platform – a rarity in fintech. Importantly, Wise also became an innovator in financial infrastructure early on. In 2016 it gained direct access to the UK's Faster Payments network (the first tech company to do so), showing a knack for working with regulators to improve speed and cost. Over time, TransferWise broadened its offerings beyond person-to-person remittances. In 2016 it launched its first business accounts for SMEs to send money internationally on better terms. By 2018 it rolled out a borderless multi-currency account and debit Mastercard, enabling customers to hold money in multiple currencies and spend it via card in different countries with low fees. The company's global footprint also expanded: it opened offices around the world (10 offices by 2019, including a European hub in Belgium to navigate Brexit) and set up an Asia-Pacific hub in Singapore in 2017. In 2021, reflecting its broadened mission, TransferWise rebranded to 'Wise.' That same year, Wise went public via a direct listing on the London Stock Exchange – notably, London's largest tech listing ever at the time. The listing valued Wise at ~$11 billion, signaling its arrival as a major fintech player. Today, Wise is truly international: over 6,500 employees ('Wisers') across 20+ offices serve customers in 170+ countries. Yet the company insists it's 'still solving only a fraction of the problem'. As CEO Kristo Käärmann wrote, 'Twelve years ago we set out to solve the massive problem people and businesses face in sending money around the world… While we're nowhere near mission complete, 16 million people and businesses are now helping us get closer every day.' In the next sections, we'll examine how Wise is attempting to fulfill that mission through its products and underlying infrastructure. --------- Source: Wise Annual Reports FY2023–FY2025; product pages and blog; CEO and executive statements from Wise reports; and Wise investor reports highlighting key metrics. All data and quotes are from official Wise materials. Disclaimer: Fintech Wrap Up aggregates publicly available information for informational purposes only. Portions of the content may be reproduced verbatim from the original source, and full credit is provided with a "Source: [Name]" attribution. All copyrights and trademarks remain the property of their respective owners. Fintech Wrap Up does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the aggregated content; these are the responsibility of the original source providers. Links to the original sources may not always be included. For questions or concerns, please contact us at
