Fans will notice plenty more changes at the All England Club at this year's tournament as Andy Schooler found out.
Fans will notice plenty more changes at the All England Club at this year's tournament. Andy Schooler speaks to chief executive Ian Ritchie about the alterations made ahead of this summer's competition
Wimbledon may be a tournament steeped in rich tradition, but the wind of change will continue to sweep through the All England Club this year.
Last season the players turned up to find no roof on Centre Court; this time around they will see that the famous yellow and green scoreboards are no more, at least not on the show courts.
So many tennis fans, both on site and via the television, have been brought up with the familiar sight of those little yellow dots informing them of the latest score but as technology moves on, so must the scoreboards.
The change has largely been forced upon the organisers.
Last year saw the Hawk-eye automated line-calling system used for the first time in SW19, but with the roof off Centre Court there was plenty of room for the screens to show the results of any disputed calls.
With a permanent roof now back on the famous arena, that is no longer the case so the traditional scoreboards have been ripped out and replaced by new state-of-the-art screens.
Not only will these be able to show the Hawk-eye outcomes, but also highlights of other matches when rain has stopped play and between matches.
The All England Club's chief executive Ian Ritchie explained: "It wasn't a question of fashion, taste or anything. If we were going to use Hawk-eye again we had to have the screens - we had to change the scoreboards to accommodate Hawk-eye.
"It gives us the opportunity to expand. There will be more statistics (on show), a whole raft of stuff we can put on them. People expect more and more information these days."
As for video highlights, Ritchie admitted a "conservative" view would be taken at first. It's therefore unlikely Wimbledon will be mirroring the hustle and bustle of the US Open any time soon.
"(Showing clips) in between games is not something we would do. In between matches is different. We can show what's going on on Number One court or the outside courts, for example.
Roof
"In 2009 we want to show on screens around the grounds what's going on on Centre Court."
Of course, next year will see play continue on Centre Court even when it's raining, courtesy of the new retractable roof.
That scenario has taken a step closer over the past 12 months, with building work continuing around the main arena.
As already stated, a new permanent roof is now in place so spectators will not be left to endure the elements this year.
Fans will see two 75m-long, 70-tonne trusses in place at this year's event - eight more will be added after the tournament as work heads towards a conclusion.
As part of the redevelopment, the Centre Court building now has new catering facilities, while a brand new 4,000-seat outside court is also under construction - that will also be ready for 2009 with officials confident of completing on time.
Ritchie admitted: "Last year some of the players found it quite a shock without the roof. Somebody who's played here for years, like Roger Federer, would be used to the enclosed shape of it.
"Like all of us they get used to a familiar court. It will be like familiar territory for them again this year."
The improvements are all part of Wimbledon's plan to keep its place as the world's most recognised tournament.
"We are very competitive in wanting to be not only the best tennis tournament, but one of the great sporting events," added Ritchie.
"We believe it's right to invest in the building work and facilities."
