Tennis star asks Wimbledon to avoid scheduling matches at the same time as their country’s World Cup games.
The World Cup knockout rounds and Wimbledon are coming up soon, and one tennis player is hoping the Wimbledon schedule doesn’t clash with her country’s football matches. Wimbledon starts on Monday, June 29, and goes until Sunday, July 12. The World Cup is already underway, with the final set for July 19.
The All England Club, where Wimbledon is held, has always kept World Cup games off their grounds during the tournament, making it a football-free zone. So, for one female tennis star, it might be hard to watch her favorite team while playing at Wimbledon. She’s hoping her matches won’t be at the same time as England’s games.
Even though Thomas Tuchel’s team didn’t win their second World Cup game against Ghana, England is still expected to move on to the knockout rounds. British number 4 Francesca Jones is feeling excited and hopeful. She’s a big Manchester United fan and loves watching football regularly. Now, she’s asked the Wimbledon organizers not to schedule her matches at the same time as England’s games so she can follow them.
Talking to the Telegraph, she said, “If it’s at 2 a.m., they’d tell me no. But if we’re playing in the evening, I’ll try to play early in the schedule.” She added, “I like to watch the games with my dad. I don’t often get the chance, so it’s nice to watch England matches together.” Usually, she watches football alone on Sundays at home.
Right now, England is expected to play their round of 32 match on July 5, which is during the second week of Wimbledon. Although Jones has never reached this far at Wimbledon before, she feels confident after making it to the second round of the French Open in May. She hopes she can match that result at Wimbledon this year.