Wimbledon to welcome full crowds on Centre Court and Court One from quarter-finals

Championships had been operating at 50 per cent capacity in the first week but government approval will allow arenas to be full for final three rounds

Roger Federer plays Cameron Norrie on Centre Court in the third round of Wimbledon in front of a 50 per cent capacity crowd. PA

Centre Court and Court One at Wimbledon will welcome back full crowds for the quarter-finals through to the end of the tournament, organisers announced on Sunday.

The first week at Wimbledon was limited to 50 per cent capacity on the stadium courts, but the All England Club said that the tournament will be “the first full outdoor stadiums at a sporting event” in Britain since the start of the coronavirus pandemic last year.

The club said the increase to full crowds at the two main arenas comes after “the successful staging of the first week of The Championships” and with government approval.

After Monday’s fourth round matches, the quarter-finals are scheduled to begin Tuesday for the women and on Wednesday for the men. The semi-finals follow, with the women’s final next Saturday and the men’s on Sunday.

Before the tournament began, the All England Club had said it would be able to allow full crowds only for the two singles finals.

Centre Court can hold 14,979 people, and Court One’s capacity is 12,345. The number of fans allowed around the rest of the site “will be reduced according to the number of courts in play,” the club said.

Spectators still need to show proof of their Covid-19 status when they arrive at the tournament each day — either that they have passed a test within the preceding 48 hours or are fully vaccinated.

Wimbledon was cancelled in 2020 because of the Covid-19 outbreak, the first time in 75 years that the oldest Grand Slam tennis tournament was not held.