When tennis meets weather: Wimbledon 2024 facing costly rain delay

Wimbledon 2024 is moving towards its conclusion as a handful of players battle to secure the ultimate prize. Although hardly anything has gone wrong in the competition, the competition organisers are facing the possibility of having to pay a refund in the region of £250,000.

According to a report by English media outlet Express, Wimbledon organisers will have to pay a refund of more than £200 thousand because matches on Tuesday were postponed due to rain. The report stated that the competition organisers have confirmed that the people who bought tickets for Tuesday’s matches outside the centre court will be eligible for a refund.

"Ticket holders who purchased a No 2 Show Court ticket or a Grounds Pass before 5pm on Tuesday, July 9 are eligible for a full refund due to the rain delays and the resulting cancellation of matches,” the statement said.

On Tuesday, 75 percent of the matches were postponed because of the poor weather. The report stated that about 7,500 people are eligible for a refund and the amount will be around £250,000.

The competition is set to conclude on Sunday. World number two Serbia’s Novak Djokovic will face Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti in the men's singles category. In contrast, world number three Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz will face Russia’s Daniil Medvedev in the semifinal clash.

Djokovic booked his place in the last four after Australia’s Alex de Minaur was forced to withdraw from the competition because of fitness concerns. Musetti, on the other hand, defeated America’s Taylor Fritz in the quarterfinal with a score of 3-6, 7-6, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1.

Alcaraz booked his spot in the last four after beating America’s Tommy Paul with a score of 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2. Medvedev qualified for the semifinal after beating world number one Jannik Sinner with a score of 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 2-6, 6-3. In the women’s singles category, Elena Rybakina will face Barbora Krejcikova, whereas Italy’s Jasmine Paolini will face Croatia’s Donna Vekic in the semifinal.