Wimbledon rules out handshake announcements

Wimbledon's Sally Bolton says there is "no intention" for umpires to be told to guide crowds on the politics of post-match handshakes after Victoria Azarenka faced boos.

Svitolina wants tennis bosses to inform crowds of the war-related situation.

"We've no intention of doing that," said chief executive Bolton.

It has been a matter of personal principle for Svitolina and some compatriots not to shake hands with players from Russia or Belarus while the military invasion of Ukraine goes on.

Azarenka knew this so did not expect a handshake and walked away from the net, but not all spectators would have been aware of what was happening.

Bolton said: "Historically in tennis, the decision on how a player reacts at the end of a match is entirely a personal decision for them and I think we don't really want to start mandating what happens.

"I think we have an incredibly knowledgeable audience at Wimbledon and I think in the most part they would understand what was going on.

"I wouldn't want to speculate on what everybody in the crowd was thinking last night.

"I would echo what Elina and Vika said. Having witnessed one of the most incredible matches to an absolutely rapt audience, we should be focusing on the tennis and the match we saw, not all of the other stuff that went on."

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• What are Wimbledon rules for Russians and Belarusians?

Azarenka lost the Court One thriller 2-6 6-4 7-6 (11-9), but the jeers directed at her after the match followed similar incidents in Svitolina's matches at the French Open.

Former British number one Greg Rusedski believes an announcement should be made after matches to ensure the crowd is aware of the context.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, Rusedski said: "All the chair umpire has to say is 'game, set and match whoever wins' and make an announcement that Ukrainian players have made a decision that they don't want to shake the hands of Belarusians or Russian players and it's not disrespectful, it's just because of what's going on in the war.

"If they do that, there won't be this booing. The fans didn't know on this occasion, and they didn't know at the previous occasion at the French Open."

Former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli believes there are many ways to alert a crowd to the situation and avoid similar incidents in the future.

She said: "We receive our tickets on the phone and on the Wimbledon app and everything is digital. You could also make an announcement to say that what is happening - it has been agreed by all those players representing those countries that there won't be any handshakes at the end of the match.

"I just think there are so many ways to spread across the information."

Could Centre Court matches start earlier to avoid curfew?

Defending Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic (right) has twice seen matches at the tournament suspended because of the curfew

Bolton also addressed the issue of scheduling on Centre Court, with notable contests in the first week of the Championships having failed to be completed before the 23:00 curfew.

Matches involving Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray have gone into a second day, with Djokovic having to come back on Monday to finish his fourth-round clash with Hubert Hurkacz.

Asked if Centre Court matches could start earlier than the scheduled 13:30 time, Bolton told BBC Sport: "Historically, our show courts - Centre Court and Court One - have always started early afternoon, that's always been a tradition.

"The reason that we do that is twofold. One is a focus on making sure that we can have those courts full when the players walk on. Secondly, we recognise that when our guests come to the Championships, they want to experience a whole day here.

"If they're lucky enough to have a Centre Court ticket, they want to be able to get round, see the grounds, perhaps have something to eat or drink. So what we're trying to do is to create that perfect balance.

"As with everything else, we will have a look at that, we will review it, we will take the feedback from the various groups, and we will think about what is right for the future."

Wimbledon 'always looking to evolve' after queue issues

Last week, Wimbledon officials were criticised over the organisation of the queue after increased security checks slowed entry, causing frustrated fans to leave.

The queue has become a Wimbledon tradition, with 500 tickets available for each of the main three courts, with other fans able to buy ground passes to watch the outside courts.

Organisers boosted security this year after protests from the Just Stop Oil group at recent sporting events.

Bolton stressed it was important to maintain the tradition of the queue, but she said Wimbledon was always looking to evolve to avoid issues like they faced this year.

"The queue is like everything we do here, we are always looking at ways to make it better and to improve the experience," she said.

"We're always evolving it and looking at ways that we can improve it, but the most important thing that we maintain is the accessibility.

"We will continue to work hard to improve the way in which the queue functions to deliver the best service that we can."