In a land where tradition rules the day, at a tennis club where history runs deep, change has come that will forever alter the dynamic of the most hallowed ground in sport -- Centre Court at Wimbledon now has a roof.
No doubt progressive fans of the game are cheering at not having to watch replayed classics ad nausea on television or huddle under umbrellas for hours on site. And I'm sure tournament organizers and certain players are looking forward to some schedule predictability at the most weather-unpredictable major event.
Yet, as often occurs with any advent -- and this is a unique one with translucent, retractable qualities -- there usually results a death. And that is precisely what conservative fans of the game are lamenting, the death of an integral part of the game on Wimbledon's Centre Court -- the rain delay.
The white tennis ball went the way of the typewriter in the early 1980s for a more visible optic-yellow version, the old Court One was weaned from the breast of Centre Court in 2000 and made to stand alone to the north, and sometime in the future, I'm guessing the "predominantly white" dress code will be loosened in favor of colors.
But none of these well-publicized changes affected more than the ascetics of Wimbledon. The new roof certainly will impact the results.
Take for example the Greatest Match Ever, played last year between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in the Wimbledon men's final. With heightened anticipation that Federer was going to win a sixth consecutive title, the Centre Court audience was stunned as Nadal manhandled the Unbeatable One on Grass to a 6-4, 6-4, 4-5 lead. With the Swiss' dethronement inexorably approaching, drops of rain began to fall on the famous lawn, causing the players to flee to the dressing room (and me to Player's Dining for some strawberries and cream). Federer had been saved by the bell, or perhaps more accurately, saved by a lack of roof.
A stabilized Federer came back on court 80 minutes later to win the third set 7-6 and then the fourth by the same score, riding a wave of momentum early in the decisive set. But just when it looked as if Federer would retain the rights to his throne, the rains came again, sending the players off court (and me for a scone and cup of tea). After a 30-minute delay, a steadied Nadal wrested things back in his favor and eventually served out the championship in near darkness.
The irrefutable point is this: A roofless Centre Court turned a likely straight-set shellacking by Nadal into a likely five-set comeback victory for Federer into an amazing upset shocker by the Spaniard when the trophies were finally awarded. Who would've thought a lack of action (i.e. rain delays) could so directly affect the on-court action? Yet, this is a story with a thousand examples.
