Former Team India skipper and accomplished batter Ajinkya Rahane made a surprise appearance at Wimbledon 2025 with the Thursday fixtures lining up third round matches of men's World No. 1 Jannik Sinner and five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek.
Wimbledon sprang into life on Monday as the world's oldest tennis tournament opened its gates to thousands of spectators who had queued up for hours in the gentle morning sunshine.
Wimbledon champions to receive record three million pounds in prize money
The tournament's once-robust pool of around 300 line judges has been cut to 80 and they will serve as "match assistants", who support chair umpires and step in should the ELC -- powered by more than 450 cameras -- fail in any of the 18 courts in use.
The sight of immaculately-dressed line judges standing or crouching at the side and back of the grass courts has been a feature at the Grand Slam for 147 years.
Jevans also announced that wheelchair competitions would have a prize pot of one million pounds to reflect their growing popularity, with singles and doubles draws expanding to 16 players and eight teams.
"It is our hope that this rule adjustment will help players focus purely on their performance by relieving a potential source of anxiety."
Unvaccinated players are not barred from participating in Wimbledon
Ahead of this year's Wimbledon, Russian and Belarusian players signed personal declarations that cleared them to compete in this year's Championship.
Earlier on Wednesday, tournament director Jamie Baker said he informed Osaka's team that organisers were "completely open for any discussions" in case of any issues.
AELTC took the decision in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine
"Staging The Championships in 2021 is our number one priority and we are actively engaged in scenario planning in order to deliver on that priority," AELTC Chief Executive Sally Bolton said in a statement.
The Wimbledon Championships will become a 14-day tournament from 2022, with matches set to be played on Middle Sunday, traditionally a day off at the grasscourt Grand Slam.
Wimbledon's cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic this year will have no major financial impact on British tennis, outgoing All England club Chief Executive Richard Lewis said. The grasscourt Grand Slam was scheduled to start on Monday but was cancelled for the first time since World War Two in April.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Thursday
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