Wimbledon
marks its plans in case
Andy Murray announces his retirement at SW19. Sally
Bolton, Chief Executive of the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), spoke at
the annual pre-tournament press conference, and the potential retirement of
Murray at the tournament was one of the discussed topics.
The 3-time
Grand Slam champion announced his plans not to play beyond the European summer,
but has not set a concrete date for his retirement, although Wimbledon seems
like the ideal place under the affection of his home Slam crowd: “We have
certainly got plans in place and we’re ready and prepared,” said Bolton. “But
ultimately, it’s Andy’s decision and we’ll very much be led by him and we can
amend our plans accordingly.”
“We’ve got plans, but it’s his call,” AELTC ready for Murray’s retirement
Murray has
yet to confirm exactly when he will retire. The former world No. 1 hopes to
compete for the last time in the Olympic Games, but his presence will depend on
whether he can compete in the doubles. The Scot is waiting for a wildcard as an
Olympic champion, while the British team will be announced at the end of this
week.
If Murray
plays his last tournament at Wimbledon, Bolton commented that the AELTC does
not require any notification: “We’re ready, we’ve got plans,” she said.
“They’re very adaptable. We’re clear about what we want to do. But it’s really
important that this is Andy’s call and so we’ll be very much led by him in the
decision he makes.”
Bolton also
addressed the controversies regarding match end times, given that they have
caused problems in the Grand Slams, especially when unpredictable weather leads
to early morning finishes: “We’re still confident we can achieve what we need
to do in that period of time,” said Bolton. “We’ve reviewed it, we’ve thought long and
hard, and looked at the data around the length of matches and the trends that
are occurring in that space. We’re very confident and happy with the decision
that we’ve made this year.”
