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TENNIS

How many courts does Wimbledon have?

The All England Centre Court in London gets star status, but there are many other grass courts where the tennis action is played out over the fortnight.

The All England Centre Court in London gets star status, but there are many other grass courts where the tennis action is played out over the fortnight.
Hannah McKayREUTERS

Another year, another date in SW19 for the best tennis has to offer. Yes, each year, 128 players compete in both the men’s and women’s divisions at the Wimbledon Championships, and the tournament’s stars are usually seen battling it out at the Centre and No.1 Courts of the All England Club.

But there is so much more as any visitor is quick to experience...

Wimbledon offers 18 courts

Given the number of games that the tournament needs to get completed across the two weeks -- not forgetting the British love/hate relationship with the wet weather delays -- there are several other courts where the matches take place. In fact, there are 18 Championship courts with grass surfaces, including the Centre and No.1 Courts which are the ones usually seen in broadcasts of the competition.

No Wimbledon court 13

The Championship courts are numbered one to 18, although there is no court number 13 due to superstition over it being unlucky (Centre Court maintains the total, for those that haven’t immediately worked that out!)

Exclusive Wimbledon arena inside grounds

In addition to these, there are 20 practice courts in Aorangi Park and at Southlands College, bringing the total number of playing surfaces to 38.

The Centre Court and the other ‘Show Courts’ are used exclusively for Wimbledon games, while the other courts are available for use by other clubs and organisations for holding events.

The Club also houses eight clay courts, which are used by Club members and players sponsored by the Lawn Tennis Association. These can be used all-year round, as opposed to the grass ones that can only be played on from May to September.

The courts are spread out over 42 acres, and can accommodate up to 42,000 tennis fans. The Centre Court, being the star venue, has seats for almost 15,000 spectators.

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