Latest news with #AllEnglandLawnTennisClub
The Sun
2 hours ago
- Sport
- The Sun
World-famous UK sporting attraction set for £200million expansion after huge legal battle
THE All England Lawn Tennis Club - home to the Wimbledon Championships - is expected to triple in size in a £200million expansion. The news comes after a High Court judge dismissed a legal challenge against planning permission at the much-loved sporting venue. 4 4 4 The Wimbledon Park Project is expected to create 38 new grass courts, including an 8,000-seat show court. Excitingly, this will allow the club to bring the Wimbledon Qualifying event to the site for the first time. In addition, the project will transform the former Wimbledon Park Golf Course into a 23-acre public park. The site has been inaccessible for the past century, yet has been maintained by Wimbledon. There will also be a new four acre green space adjacent to Wimbledon Park. And Brits can also get the chance to experience what playing tennis is like at the Championships, as there are expected to be at least seven new Championship-standard grass tennis courts open for community use. Other parts of the project include restoring Wimbledon Lake and creating a new 1.8mile boardwalk around and spending £8million to refurbish the boat house. More tickets to the Championships will be made available for people living in the local area, including local schools, and 1,500 new trees will be planted. In total, the expansion project is expected to contribute over £300million to London 's economy. The Save Wimbledon Park (SWP) campaign group took legal action against the Greater London Authority (GLA) last year, after it made the decision to grant planning permission. New $1bn stadium in Miami rapidly takes shape and set to open in 2026 The group argued that the project was unlawful as the proposed land at the former Wimbledon Park Golf Club was protected. According to the BBC, Deborah Jevans, chairwoman of the All England Club said she was "delighted" with the decision made yesterday. However, following the ruling, SWP have said that they plan to appeal the decision. The Wimbledon Tennis Championships have been held at the site since 1877 and it is the oldest tennis tournament in the world. It is also the only major tennis tournament still played on grass. The UK's top 15 attractions for 2025 have also just been revealed, including six which are totally free. Plus, five tennis-themed holidays across Europe. 4
The Guardian
21 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Wimbledon tennis site expansion can go ahead, high court rules
A proposed expansion of the Wimbledon tennis site will go ahead after the high court ruled in favour of an original decision to allow a further 39 courts, including an 8,000-seat show court, on the grounds of the old Wimbledon Park golf club. A judicial review, which started as this year's 138th championship was under way, came after the campaign group Save Wimbledon Park (SWP) took legal action against the Greater London Authority (GLA) over its decision last year to allow the All England Lawn Tennis Club to almost triple its size. Campaigners asked the judge to quash the original decision made in September 2024 and order it to be sent back to the GLA for reconsideration. Welcoming the ruling, the All England club's chair, Deborah Jevans, said: 'It is clear that we have a robust planning permission that enables us to create a permanent home for the Wimbledon qualifying competition as well as delivering 27 acres of beautiful new parkland for local people, providing public access to land that has been a private golf course for over 100 years.' On Monday, Mr Justice Saini dismissed the challenge, saying: 'In short, the defendant's decision on the relevance of deliverability, applying to both the statutory trust and the restrictive covenants, was a planning judgment rationally exercised and having regard to appropriate and relevant factors.' In response to Monday's ruling, the campaign group said it had been advised it should challenge the decision, and claimed that the GLA had made a 'significant' legal error over the special legal status of the park. Christopher Coombe, a director of SWP, said: 'This judgment would, if it stands, set a worrying precedent for the unwanted development of protected green belt and public open spaces around London and across the country.' The campaign group said there were other legal protections for the park that would be 'insurmountable' for property developers, including future action in January brought by the All England club that will determine whether the land is for public recreation or protected by a statutory trust. Coombe said: 'The [All England club] will surely have noted the considerable public outrage about this development, most recently expressed outside the law courts, and we continue to hope that they could be persuaded to engage constructively with us, with a view to achieving a resolution of this four-year-old dispute.' Residents have argued against the loss of green space as well as 10 years of disruption to the local area. They have also questioned its legality, as the proposed expansion, straddling the boroughs of Merton and Wandsworth, would be on metropolitan open land, which has the same protected status as green belt. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion The club's counterargument is that what was once a private golf course will be converted into land that will offer access to the public, including a 9.3-hectare (23-acre) park, with further green space open through the year outside the championships. The scaling up of facilities is necessary for players and to maintain the prestige of the grand slam tournament, it says. The dispute goes back to 1993 when the All England club bought the golf course land from Merton council for £5.2m. It signed a covenant agreeing it would not use the land other than for leisure, recreational purposes or as open space. The campaign group, which raised £200,000 before the review, believes the proposals have violated that pledge. The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, welcomed the ruling. He said the plans would 'cement Wimbledon's reputation as the greatest tennis competition in the world and London as the sporting capital of the world. 'This scheme will bring a significant range of economic, social, cultural and environmental benefits to the local area, the wider capital and the UK economy, creating new jobs and green spaces.' Planning permission for the expansion was first granted by the London deputy mayor Jules Pipe, who said the proposals would deliver benefits that 'clearly outweigh the harm'.
The Guardian
a day ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Wimbledon tennis site expansion can go ahead, high court rules
A proposed expansion of the Wimbledon tennis site will go ahead after the high court ruled in favour of an original decision to allow a further 39 courts, including an 8,000-seat show court, on the grounds of the old Wimbledon Park golf club. A judicial review, which started as this year's 138th championship was under way, came after campaign group Save Wimbledon Park took legal action against the Greater London Authority (GLA) over its decision last year to allow the All England Lawn Tennis Club to almost triple its size. Campaigners asked the judge to quash the original decision made in September 2024, and order it to be sent back to the GLA for reconsideration. Residents have argued against the loss of green space as well as 10 years of disruption to the local area. They have also questioned its legality, as the proposed expansion would be on metropolitan open land, which has the same protected status as green belt. The club's counterargument is that what was once a private golf course will be converted into land that will offer access to the public, including a 9.3-hectare (23-acre) park, with further green space open through the year outside the championships. The scaling up of facilities is necessary for players and to maintain the prestige of the grand slam tournament, it says. The dispute goes back to 1993 when the All England club bought the golf course land from Merton council for £5.2m. It signed a covenant agreeing it would not use the land other than for leisure, recreational purposes or as open space. The campaign group, which raised £200,000 before the review, believes the proposals have violated that pledge. Aside from the judicial review, a separate court action brought by the All England club will determine whether the land is for public recreation or protected by a statutory trust.
The South African
5 days ago
- Sport
- The South African
South Africa has a new tennis hope in Connor Doig
Despite a first round defeat, South Africans have much to be proud of as Connor Doig added to South Africa's presence at Wimbledon 2025. Doig's entry into the big stage has only just begun. This was not only his maiden Wimbledon, but also his first time playing on UK grass, which he said was unfamiliar but enjoyable, and 'a privilege'. The junior world No 60 qualified for the Boys' Singles draw at Wimbledon – a feat in itself, given the challenges he overcame. His first qualifying match involved saving a match point, and winning a close super tie-breaker (12-10). His second match was equally tight, before he progressed and secured a place in the Boys' Singles draw. Doig was defeated in two sets (7-5, 6-2) by Luis Guto Miguel of Brazil in the first round of the Wimbledon Boys' Singles tournament. But there are many positive takeaways from this experience to build on, even from the distractions he faced. The beginning of the first set was going the South African's way until two interruptions after his 4-2 lead changed the momentum for the rest of the match. At 4-2, Miguel received a medical time-out to receive physio treatment. Then, at the start of the second set, a rain delay suspended play, just before Doig was due to serve. At his post-match press conference, Doig told Amisha Savani: 'I had a chance game point to go 5-2, and then, he already took the set 7-5, and then he went for a physical time off court, and then we came on for one game and went off, so it felt a bit disruptive for sure, but I mean, I think it's the same for both of us'. The first set was the most competitive, with tight margins, and both players upping their level, at points even serving underarm serves to switch things up. The physio treatment and rain delay seemed to fuel Doig's opponent, who returned playing more dominantly than ever and marching through to victory. Savani asked Doig how it felt to be South Africa's new hope. 'There's a certain degree of pressure that comes with it, but I'm proud to be representing South Africa on the biggest stage'. When asked about his thoughts on developing more South African tennis players for the main stage, Doig said that funding was still required to develop the best players, but was positive for the future. 'I think there are steps being taken in the right direction.' Doig reflected on his maiden Wimbledon experience. 'It has been amazing, it's been a privilege to play here'. Looking ahead, Doig said that this experience would help him next year, by when he would be more familiar with grass. Next up for Doig are some home tournaments in South Africa, followed by Spain before the US hard court season. Amisha Savani reported exclusively from the All England Lawn Tennis Club, Wimbledon for The South African . Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Carlos Alcaraz sends classy message to Jannik Sinner after final
The post Carlos Alcaraz sends classy message to Jannik Sinner after final appeared first on ClutchPoints. Carlos Alcaraz sent a classy message to Jannik Sinner after losing the Wimbledon final on Sunday. The sensational Spaniard was vying for his third straight title at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, but it wasn't meant to be against the world No. 1. Alcaraz struggled with his serve throughout the afternoon en route to 6-4 4-6 4-6 4-6 defeat. Sinner, who hadn't beaten his main rival since 2023, collected his first major trophy on a non-hard court surface and now has won two out of the three majors in 2025. While Carlos was surely disappointed, the world No. 2 gave the Italian superstar Wimbledon/status/1944465944576704558" rel="noopener">his due props during the post-match interview. The two future legends of the game are the best players in the world right now, as well as good friends. It simply was not Carlos' day on Centre Court against a player whose movement was absolutely superb the entire match. Sinner's return game was in particular impressive, as he won 47% of the points on Alcaraz's first serves and broke his rival four total times. The now four-time slam champion additionally showed some surprising variety throughout the match, which kept him more unpredictable than usual on a surface that encourages it. Sinner will now head into the hard-court summer season, where he has thrived in the past, as the favorite to claim another US Open. With his only major loss this season coming in a classic, five-set epic against Carlos in the French Open final, it's going to take a herculean effort to take the world No. 1 down in New York. Alcaraz, on the other hand, will now regroup for this season, looking to maintain his all-time major pace. The 22-year-old cannot be disappointed with his year to this point, and now he has another chip on his shoulder after losing at Wimbledon for the first time since 2022. Overall, it's shocking to say that Carlos still has his best tennis ahead of him. At still a very young age on tour, the El Palmar, Murcia native is already the second-greatest Spanish tennis player of all time behind the legendary Rafael Nadal. It's going to take a long, long time for Alcaraz to be in the same air as an icon like Rafa, but he has to like where he stands among the greats right now. It's not bad putting together a no-doubt Hall of Fame resume at 22, and there will still be plenty of learning experiences in the future. Related: Jannik Sinner reveals how he overcame French Open loss to beat Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon Related: Jannik Sinner's Wimbledon title puts him in Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal company
