Wimbledon diary: Arthur Ashe remembered and Kasatkina's earring causes problems
Champion. Trailblazer. Activist. Icon.
Remembering the late, great Arthur Ashe, 50 years on from his 1975 gentlemen's singles triumph.#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/c1W25X2JDn
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 5, 2025
To celebrate the anniversary, Wimbledon have an installation in the International Tennis Centre tunnel and a new museum display about him.
Growing up, Ashe, who died aged 49 in 1993 after contracting AIDS from a blood transfusion during heart surgery in the early 1980s, had been refused permission to play tennis in his hometown of Richmond, Virginia because of his skin colour.
****
British and Irish sporting stars crammed into the Royal Box on day six.
World Cup final hat-trick hero Sir Geoff Hurst, five-time Olympic rowing champion Sir Steve Redgrave and former cricket star Lord Botham were among the special guests.
Sir Geoff Hurst was among the many sporting stars in the Royal Box (Mike Egerton/PA)
They were joined on Centre Court by Olympic champions Dame Denise Lewis, Dame Kelly Holmes and Sir Jason and Dame Laura Kenny, in addition to a host of Paralympians, including 19-time gold medallist Dame Sarah Storey.
As is tradition on middle Saturday of the Championships, the host of famous faces from across the sporting spectrum were invited by All England Club chair Debbie Jevans.
****
Britain's Jodie Burrage had a mixed day.
The 26-year-old was up early to watch boyfriend Ben White make his British and Irish Lions debut in a 26-10 win over New South Wales Waratahs in Sydney.
She then joined forces with Sonay Kartal in the women's doubles, losing 6-3 6-1 to 11th seeds Beatriz Haddad Maia and Laura Siegemund.
****
Women's 16th seed Daria Kasatkina endured a day to forget.
During a straight-sets exit at the hands of Liudmila Samsonova, which featured two rain delays, she lost a game after her earring become caught in her shirt.
🗣 "I've never seen that before!" 👂🏻💍
Not an ideal way to lose a game 😬#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/ppwWtkYVU7
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 5, 2025
****
Quote of the day
'It's really not easy, part of you is telling yourself to just put a bunch of balls into the court and that's all you have to do but she is an amazing player, injuries or no injuries.' – Emma Navarro on defeating defending women's champion Barbora Krejcikova, who required medical treatment during the match.
Picture of the day
Day six of the Championships got off to a slow start, with wet weather causing a number of rain delays (Jordan Pettitt/PA)
Stat of the day
Sunday's weather forecast
Cloudy changing to light showers by late morning, with highs of 24C, according to the Met Office.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
North Wales Chronicle
9 minutes ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Legal challenge over Wimbledon expansion set to be heard at High Court
Save Wimbledon Park (SWP) is challenging the decision by the Greater London Authority (GLA) to give the green light to the All England Club's proposal to build 39 new courts, including an 8,000-seat stadium, on the former Wimbledon Park Golf Club. Planning permission for the scheme was granted last year by Jules Pipe, London's deputy mayor for planning, who said that the proposals 'would facilitate very significant benefits' which 'clearly outweigh the harm'. Debbie Jevans, chair of the All England Club, said at the time that the proposals would deliver 27 acres of 'newly accessible parkland for the community', and would allow the qualifying tournament for Wimbledon – currently staged at Roehampton – to be held on-site. But campaigners say that Wimbledon Park, a Grade II*-listed heritage site, is subject to similar protections as the green belt or royal parks and that allowing development on the site would set a 'dangerous precedent'. SWP's lawyers are set to argue that the GLA's decision failed to take into account the implications of 'restrictive covenants' on the use of the land, and that the development would cause 'deliberate damage'. The GLA is defending the legal challenge at a two-day hearing before Mr Justice Saini, which is due to begin at 10.30am at the Royal Courts of Justice in London. The plans were first submitted to both Merton and Wandsworth Councils, with the park straddling the boroughs, in 2021, three years after the All England Club bought out golf club members with the intention of developing the land. After Merton Council approved the plans, but Wandsworth Council rejected them, the Mayor of London's office took charge of the application. Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan then recused himself from the process in 2023, having previously expressed public support for the development. The plans attracted opposition from Fleur Anderson, the Labour MP for Putney, and Richard Rees, who was previously the lead planner for the building of Wimbledon's Court One and the development of 'Henman Hill'. Ahead of Tuesday's hearing, Christopher Coombe, a director of SWP, said: 'If this decision by the GLA is upheld and the development goes ahead, the detrimental impacts on our environment and delicate ecosystem will be devastating. 'Our community has given massive support to the campaign over four years, desperate to stop the loss of open space intended for public recreation. 'This is not just in SW19; it's happening all over London. Once built, it is gone forever, and there is very little local trust in an organisation that prides itself on fair play, but then breaks its word. 'We all love the Wimbledon championships, but don't believe the proposal is really about protecting the future of the world's best tennis tournament. 'We will continue to press (the All England Club) to reconsider their fighting stance towards our community and to join us in finding a resolution that we can all get behind.' A spokesperson for the All England Club said: 'Our proposals will deliver one of the greatest sporting transformations for London since 2012. 'They are crucial to ensuring Wimbledon remains at the pinnacle of tennis, one of the world's best sporting events, and a global attraction for both London and the UK. 'On offer are substantial year-round benefits for our community and the delivery of significant social, economic, and environmental improvements. 'This includes more than 27 acres of new public parkland on what is currently inaccessible, private land. 'Our plans will increase the size of Wimbledon Park by a third and create spaces for people and nature to thrive. 'There will be a very significant increase in biodiversity across the site and our proposals are underpinned by more than 1,000 hours of ecological surveys, which are endorsed by the London Wildlife Trust. 'We have spoken to more than 10,000 people as part of our consultation events, and we know that the vast majority of people just want us to get on and deliver the many benefits on offer.' A GLA spokesperson said: 'The Mayor believes this scheme will bring a significant range of benefits, including environmental, economic, social and cultural benefits to the local area, the wider capital and the UK economy. 'It will create new jobs and green spaces and cement Wimbledon's reputation as the greatest tennis competition in the world. 'An application has been made for the court to determine this matter, and it is therefore inappropriate for the mayor to comment further at this stage.'
Leader Live
an hour ago
- Leader Live
Legal challenge over Wimbledon expansion set to be heard at High Court
Save Wimbledon Park (SWP) is challenging the decision by the Greater London Authority (GLA) to give the green light to the All England Club's proposal to build 39 new courts, including an 8,000-seat stadium, on the former Wimbledon Park Golf Club. Planning permission for the scheme was granted last year by Jules Pipe, London's deputy mayor for planning, who said that the proposals 'would facilitate very significant benefits' which 'clearly outweigh the harm'. Debbie Jevans, chair of the All England Club, said at the time that the proposals would deliver 27 acres of 'newly accessible parkland for the community', and would allow the qualifying tournament for Wimbledon – currently staged at Roehampton – to be held on-site. But campaigners say that Wimbledon Park, a Grade II*-listed heritage site, is subject to similar protections as the green belt or royal parks and that allowing development on the site would set a 'dangerous precedent'. SWP's lawyers are set to argue that the GLA's decision failed to take into account the implications of 'restrictive covenants' on the use of the land, and that the development would cause 'deliberate damage'. The GLA is defending the legal challenge at a two-day hearing before Mr Justice Saini, which is due to begin at 10.30am at the Royal Courts of Justice in London. The plans were first submitted to both Merton and Wandsworth Councils, with the park straddling the boroughs, in 2021, three years after the All England Club bought out golf club members with the intention of developing the land. After Merton Council approved the plans, but Wandsworth Council rejected them, the Mayor of London's office took charge of the application. Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan then recused himself from the process in 2023, having previously expressed public support for the development. The plans attracted opposition from Fleur Anderson, the Labour MP for Putney, and Richard Rees, who was previously the lead planner for the building of Wimbledon's Court One and the development of 'Henman Hill'. Ahead of Tuesday's hearing, Christopher Coombe, a director of SWP, said: 'If this decision by the GLA is upheld and the development goes ahead, the detrimental impacts on our environment and delicate ecosystem will be devastating. 'Our community has given massive support to the campaign over four years, desperate to stop the loss of open space intended for public recreation. 'This is not just in SW19; it's happening all over London. Once built, it is gone forever, and there is very little local trust in an organisation that prides itself on fair play, but then breaks its word. 'We all love the Wimbledon championships, but don't believe the proposal is really about protecting the future of the world's best tennis tournament. 'We will continue to press (the All England Club) to reconsider their fighting stance towards our community and to join us in finding a resolution that we can all get behind.' A spokesperson for the All England Club said: 'Our proposals will deliver one of the greatest sporting transformations for London since 2012. 'They are crucial to ensuring Wimbledon remains at the pinnacle of tennis, one of the world's best sporting events, and a global attraction for both London and the UK. 'On offer are substantial year-round benefits for our community and the delivery of significant social, economic, and environmental improvements. 'This includes more than 27 acres of new public parkland on what is currently inaccessible, private land. 'Our plans will increase the size of Wimbledon Park by a third and create spaces for people and nature to thrive. 'There will be a very significant increase in biodiversity across the site and our proposals are underpinned by more than 1,000 hours of ecological surveys, which are endorsed by the London Wildlife Trust. 'We have spoken to more than 10,000 people as part of our consultation events, and we know that the vast majority of people just want us to get on and deliver the many benefits on offer.' A GLA spokesperson said: 'The Mayor believes this scheme will bring a significant range of benefits, including environmental, economic, social and cultural benefits to the local area, the wider capital and the UK economy. 'It will create new jobs and green spaces and cement Wimbledon's reputation as the greatest tennis competition in the world. 'An application has been made for the court to determine this matter, and it is therefore inappropriate for the mayor to comment further at this stage.'
Rhyl Journal
an hour ago
- Rhyl Journal
Legal challenge over Wimbledon expansion set to be heard at High Court
Save Wimbledon Park (SWP) is challenging the decision by the Greater London Authority (GLA) to give the green light to the All England Club's proposal to build 39 new courts, including an 8,000-seat stadium, on the former Wimbledon Park Golf Club. Planning permission for the scheme was granted last year by Jules Pipe, London's deputy mayor for planning, who said that the proposals 'would facilitate very significant benefits' which 'clearly outweigh the harm'. Debbie Jevans, chair of the All England Club, said at the time that the proposals would deliver 27 acres of 'newly accessible parkland for the community', and would allow the qualifying tournament for Wimbledon – currently staged at Roehampton – to be held on-site. But campaigners say that Wimbledon Park, a Grade II*-listed heritage site, is subject to similar protections as the green belt or royal parks and that allowing development on the site would set a 'dangerous precedent'. SWP's lawyers are set to argue that the GLA's decision failed to take into account the implications of 'restrictive covenants' on the use of the land, and that the development would cause 'deliberate damage'. The GLA is defending the legal challenge at a two-day hearing before Mr Justice Saini, which is due to begin at 10.30am at the Royal Courts of Justice in London. The plans were first submitted to both Merton and Wandsworth Councils, with the park straddling the boroughs, in 2021, three years after the All England Club bought out golf club members with the intention of developing the land. After Merton Council approved the plans, but Wandsworth Council rejected them, the Mayor of London's office took charge of the application. Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan then recused himself from the process in 2023, having previously expressed public support for the development. The plans attracted opposition from Fleur Anderson, the Labour MP for Putney, and Richard Rees, who was previously the lead planner for the building of Wimbledon's Court One and the development of 'Henman Hill'. Ahead of Tuesday's hearing, Christopher Coombe, a director of SWP, said: 'If this decision by the GLA is upheld and the development goes ahead, the detrimental impacts on our environment and delicate ecosystem will be devastating. 'Our community has given massive support to the campaign over four years, desperate to stop the loss of open space intended for public recreation. 'This is not just in SW19; it's happening all over London. Once built, it is gone forever, and there is very little local trust in an organisation that prides itself on fair play, but then breaks its word. 'We all love the Wimbledon championships, but don't believe the proposal is really about protecting the future of the world's best tennis tournament. 'We will continue to press (the All England Club) to reconsider their fighting stance towards our community and to join us in finding a resolution that we can all get behind.' A spokesperson for the All England Club said: 'Our proposals will deliver one of the greatest sporting transformations for London since 2012. 'They are crucial to ensuring Wimbledon remains at the pinnacle of tennis, one of the world's best sporting events, and a global attraction for both London and the UK. 'On offer are substantial year-round benefits for our community and the delivery of significant social, economic, and environmental improvements. 'This includes more than 27 acres of new public parkland on what is currently inaccessible, private land. 'Our plans will increase the size of Wimbledon Park by a third and create spaces for people and nature to thrive. 'There will be a very significant increase in biodiversity across the site and our proposals are underpinned by more than 1,000 hours of ecological surveys, which are endorsed by the London Wildlife Trust. 'We have spoken to more than 10,000 people as part of our consultation events, and we know that the vast majority of people just want us to get on and deliver the many benefits on offer.' A GLA spokesperson said: 'The Mayor believes this scheme will bring a significant range of benefits, including environmental, economic, social and cultural benefits to the local area, the wider capital and the UK economy. 'It will create new jobs and green spaces and cement Wimbledon's reputation as the greatest tennis competition in the world. 'An application has been made for the court to determine this matter, and it is therefore inappropriate for the mayor to comment further at this stage.'
