Wimbledon to Add Roof That Slides

What next? No more strawberries and cream?

The storied jewel of tennis tradition -- Wimbledon -- took a dramatic step into the future Tuesday when All England Club officials announced a solution to combat another British institution -- rain.

A sliding roof will be built over Centre Court.

Work on the project, which also includes a provision for increased Centre Court capacity to 15,000, will begin in 2006. Officials are hoping for completion in time for the 2009 championships.

Wimbledon will be the second Grand Slam venue with a retractable roof over its main show court. The Australian Open was the trend-setter, but Wimbledon’s roof will have a drastically different look. It will be translucent, allowing natural light to reach the grass, and will afford greater protection in inclement conditions, including hot weather. The roof has been described as a flexible fabric that can be closed in about 10 minutes.

Early reaction to such a tradition-breaking move was favorable.

“Holy smoke,” said tennis legend Jack Kramer, the Wimbledon champion in 1947, in a telephone interview Tuesday.

“Over the long run, they do get two, three days of rain over the year and it sure would be pleasant for the fans who had planned on being there for the day. All those kinds of problems would no longer exist.”

Kramer and three-time Wimbledon champion Boris Becker noted the benefits for international TV tennis coverage: the guarantee of uninterrupted play.

“Even people like John McEnroe and I can only talk so long when nothing is happening,” Becker told reporters.

Said Kramer, noting the success of the retractable roof at Melbourne: “This is a very logical move. The Brits are slow to get going, but they’re finally doing the right thing, in my judgment.”

Top-ranked Andy Roddick, playing at a tournament in Doha, Qatar, joked with reporters there, saying, “You know we’re going to get tons of rain for the next five years, then it’s not going to rain a lick for the next three.

“I think it’s a good idea, especially with what has happened at Wimbledon before and what happened at the U.S. Open last year. It’s good to have that option and it’s nice to see Wimbledon stepping forward and taking the initiative.”

Wimbledon’s move is not expected to influence the U.S. Open. The USTA has been talking about a variety of plans, but a retractable roof is not near the top of the list.