Rain-Free Wimbledon Has British Bookmakers Worried 29/06/2009 |
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Wimbledon, considered to be the most traditional of the tennis Grand Slams, is lacking something this year -- rain, and that has British bookmakers worried about a big pay-out.
Rain has yet to fall at the All England Club, which hosts the two-week event in southwest London. It’s the first year Centre Court is fitted with a retractable roof.
With forecast rain failing to arrive on the fifth day of play today, U.K. bookmaker William Hill Plc cut its odds to 4-1 from 6-1 that the new roof won’t be used at all during the event, which ends on July 5. That means a 1 pound ($1.65) bet would bring in four pounds plus the original wager.
“It would be a disaster for Wimbledon and for the bookmakers” if no rain fell at all, Graham Sharpe, a spokesman for William Hill in London, said in an interview. “They want to show off their new, efficient roof. And we have underestimated the ability of the British weather to surprise everybody.”
An entirely rain-free tournament would cost Hill more than 10,000 pounds, Sharpe said.
The decision to build a retractable roof with lights over the world’s most famous tennis court was made after decades of rain interruptions. The 2008 men’s final, between Roger Federer and eventual winner Rafael Nadal, was interrupted by rain and ended in near darkness.
The roof has been partially closed a few times this week to protect guests in the Royal Box from the sun, as temperatures soared to 33 degrees Celsius (90 degrees Fahrenheit).
Next week won’t be much cooler.
The Met Office today issued a heat-wave warning, saying temperatures may rise to as high as 32 degrees Celsius in London.
“They may close it when it’s too hot,” Sharpe said. “We’re pinning our hope on their desire to show off the new roof.”
(Source: Bloomberg)
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