Is it time for Centre Court to cover up?

It is the perennial Wimbledon debate: If football stadiums have roofs, then why not the courts of SW19?

Officials say it is not the technology that is a problem, but the possibility of dew on the playing surface, the result of a micro-climate created inside a covered court.

But with thousands of fans and television viewers around the world frustrated once again by long rain delays, pressure for change continues to mount.

Is it time for Centre Court to cover up? Or would it change Wimbledon for the worse?

No roof please. It is dealing with the unpredictable weather which helps to distinguish the men from the boys and makes Wimbledon so much more special than any of the other Grand Slams.
Debbie Sthamer, UK

A roof would only cover centre and number one and wouldn't help the delays on the other courts. Surley it would be better to start play at 9 or 10 in the morning so that more matches could be played when the weather is fine.
Anne, UK

You can't play under cover, this is Wimbledon. It rains, that's the idea. The mental pressure that is applied to players is the main point, along with a fast and changable playing surface. The only reason people want a roof is so that all ticket holders get value for money. The issue of playing time per ticket holder needs to be addressed not the very nature of the tournement.
Jh, UK

Of course there should be a retractable roof over centre court, and court 1. It hardly needs any debate! And another thing...why do players have to have Sunday off? Why not Tuesdays? Viewing figures would be much higher on Sundays because people are at home to watch tennis!
Steve D, England

Korea/Japan build 10 magnificient stadia for the World Cup, five of which they may dismantle as they have no further use for them. We hear that the Centre Court , might,just might get a cover. If anything underlines the procrastination that this Country suffers from this is it. Europe builds airport runways, London loses its number one position in international air travel, exactly the same situation as sea freight a generation ago.

How long must we continue to talk instead of do. Keep going Wimbledon, its all par for the course! Which will come first identity cards or a cover on Wimbledon, lets have several referenda and public enquiries!!!
John Higgins, UK

Centre or another Show Court should have a retractable roof. The LTA must surely have the funds, ticket prices go up every year.
Jenny Rowland, England

For goodness sake! They have been talking about this for as long as I can remember. Surely they make enough money to be able to bring the facilities up to scratch. This is the 21st century and it is no longer considered "quaint" that Wimbledon should be halted every time it rains. Pull your fingers out LTA and have something in place by next year.
Gillian Fraser, UK

Why are we still discussing this? Of COURSE the show courts should be covered in bad weather! The championship is a complete shambles, players are unfairly scheduled and we look completely disorganised to the rest of the world.

It's a national embarrassment that we can't organise a tennis match! And yet you see some commentators acting like a rain delay is somehow a good thing! Let's get our act together...and as for "dew on the paying surface"...I have never heard anything so pathetic. Where there's a will there's a way...as many other countries have already shown.
Rod, UK

Roof, Yes! try spending �112 on two centre court tickets, �10 to park the car �5.50 for a programme and then be treated to a complete farce. Then find that BBC television and radio 5 live commentators think that rain delays are funny!
Tony, England

Given that the Roman engineers built a retractable fabric canopy over The Colosseum a couple of thousand years ago, I see no good reason why we shouldn't be able to do something similar with Wimbledon's Centre Court today. Except perhaps that there is something peculiarly British about sitting for hours in the pouring rain while staring at an empty tennis court.
Chris B, England

A retractable roof would be the ideal solution. They are quite common in the US and elsewhere these days on stadiums much, much larger than Centre Court. However, to permit a retractable roof and its supporting structures you would probably have to demolish and rebuild Centre Court, which (like adding lights for night play) would no doubt cause an uproar among the well entrenched traditionalists at the All England Club. It will eventually happen, but probably not for another 20 years.
Joseph Leo, USA

It is twenty years overdue. I cannot believe that they could have spent all those millions on the new court without putting a lid on it.
G Hewson, Isle of Man

Yes. May grass courts live for ever, but it's unprofessional and disruptive to players, punters and the media when play is held up by a tiny shower of rain.
John, England

The key issue would be designing a roof system that allows a lot of light to pass through, allows a lot air to circulate to prevent condensation and one that does not affect acoustics too much. It is a totally different requirement to that of a football pitch admittedly, but it is only a matter of design for the right team. I'm sure the all england club is not short of cash!
Jeremy Jarvis, UK

I don't think there's any need for a roof but surely it would have been wise for the officials to arrange play for last sunday. The fantastic week we had last week was obviously not going to last and we now face spilling over into a third week.

Surely it would be better to play on all days and if the weather stays great then give the fianl players a well earned extra day off. If the days play is totally ruined by rain then I think Wimbledon should offer fans either a refund or tickets for the following days play
Pauline Armstrong, Scotland

Like everything else in this country we lag behind other nations. We can spend millions on a dome, but not cover Wimbledon, we should ask the Japanese to do the job for us.
r.h.mansell, england

I don't think you can say that putting a roof over a grass court is the same as over a football or rugby pitch - the Millenium Stadium seems to have had huge problems with getting the grass to grow. Perhaps courts could be grown outside wheeled in on a big tray like the pitch was at Sapporro. I like Val's suggestion of putting floodlights in remove bad light from the equation. It seems a good compromise.
Mike Baker, UK

I say cover it ... with a few tonnes of concrete and only open it again when you find entertaining enough players like McEnroe or Connors to play there. Honestly, have we ever seen such an uninteresting bunch before?
Gary, Northern Ireland

The Centre Court and Court No.1 should definately have roofs put on them. There is currently way too much weather disruption at Wimbledon and this will only get worse with global warming
Chris Harrison, United Kingdom

Yes, they should have covered up centre court and number one court ages ago!
Norbert Van Dorpe, Belgium

Yes put a roof on, a five set match that is rained off after four sets, becomes in reality a one set match just like pot black was on BBC2.
Vincent Baines, UK

The ideal roof would be clear and retractable but would also rise, revealing mesh (breathable) sides to allow air to circulate the court and spectators. Ideally, all courts should be covered with easily risen tarpaulin type roofs for cost effectiveness.
Betty Hainey, Scotland

A sliding roof on Centre and Number One courts is a must. At �48 per ticket we only saw five sets on Tuesday and no play last year! We have only been twice. With a 360 mile round trip, it's a very expensive day out if the weather is not right!
David Baker, England

I think it's about time something was done. For the rain to have such an impact on sport these days is ridiculous. Some sports such as cricket leave little that can be done about it, but the delays at Wimbledon happen so frequently that it can't be ignored any longer.
Matthew Parfitt, England

Just like modern football stadiums, Centre Court should adopt this technology. It would save people's time and money after so many postponments this year.
Roberto, England

Of course they should! The roof could be a retractable one to avoid the dew problem mentioned by Wimbledon officials, and used only to ensure that the order of play is not disrupted.

There is a retractable roof at the Millennium Stadium, so I'm sure Wimbledon can manage it. Personally, I think their dew argument is a red herring and shows that they do not want to put a roof up.
Thomas Fothringham, Scotland

I believe that they should seriously consider having a roof built. Yes it may not be within tradition of Wimbledon, but it would be a lot better for both the players and fans.

For instance, maybe last year without the rain delays we would have had an English champion. We see it every year, without fail the rain comes down and the players with good leads struggle when play resumes. It would lead to better viewing, and not having to watch repeats of old matches.
Jamie Rhone, England

It shouldn't be a case of "should we put a roof on Centre Court?" The perfect opportunity was missed when the new Court One was built some years ago. Excuses are made time and time again, but I personally no longer enjoy watching tennis due to the frustration of not being guaranteed a match. A roof is the smartest option, but it won't happen because what's obvious to everyone else, is ignored by those that matter.
Mark, England

Yes, it probably is time but, with a tournament of this size, it will not solve the problem of delays due to rain unless more courts are covered as well.
Stella Bignold, UK

The All England Club management are against building a roof as they think it will spoil the English country garden feel of Wimbledon. Surely, though, the thousands of fans, who have paid good money for tickets and in many cases travelled to London, would prefer to forego this once in a while just to watch a match in one go instead of looking at damp green covering all afternoon.

The players can't be too happy about playing matches that sometimes go on for 3 days either. Look at Henman v Ivanisevic last year, many people think that in that case, had there been no rain delays there would have been a strong possibility of a Brit in the final at last.

So come on Wimbledon, stop being dinosaurs and move into the 21st Century.
JJ, UK

A roof over the show courts is essential! If only for use in the second week. Fans make a huge effort to get to Wimbledon (and often pay a huge price), they should be able to see these matches. Most 'real' fans have no where to go during rain delays, unlike the corporate visitors who can drown their sorrows in a marquee somewhere. It also plays havoc with TV schedules.
Simon Boundy, UK

Rain is a traditional feature of Wimbledon. A roof would ruin the atmosphere of such a great championship.
Susannah Broome, England

There is no need for a roof. They just need to start earlier, in the morning instead of afternoon. A roof would make it indoor tennis, not the Wimbledon Championships everyone knows and loves.
Graham Roberts, England

Not having a roof gives the feel of a real British summer, when the sun shines it is a wonderful venue and looks magnificent. It reminds me of how summers used to be. Too many arenas are covered now, Wimbledon will lose atmosphere if they install a roof, the freedom, memories of scorching hot finals in the sun, and Cliff Richard getting us all going with a wee ditty!

Even the rain provides entertainment as you get to see different things as the TV channels fill the time in with classic matches, interviews and funny moments. Keep the sky in view!
Glen, Scotland

I don't think there should be a roof over centre court, unless it could be opened. Also, one other comment I would like to make. Towards the end of the first week Wimbledon had a good idea the second week was going to have showers, so surely they should have decided to play on the middle sunday. Then the players could have had more time off in between games.
Sue Mitchell, England

I think rather than a roof, the All England Club should install floodlights so that play can continue until much later in the evening. The night sessions at the US and Australian Opens provide some of the most exciting matches and it would be great to try and create the same atmosphere at Wimbledon. It's very frustrating that, after a day of intermittent rain, play is often finally suspended due to bad light rather than rain.
Val, UK

Rain is as much a part of Wimbledon as queuing and strawberries and cream. Why ruin a good British tradition?
Alison, UK

Rain delays increase the drama, I think. My main sympathy is towards the delay it causes players who might have less time to prepare for the next match. Certainly any roof should be retractable and only used when necessary.
Dan, UK

Having spent �86 for my girlfriend and I to watch the bore on Number One Court on Tuesday, please put a cover on both main courts next year. The schedule promised some great tennis but rain ensured we did not see it. We even had to go and have a burger because that was more interesting than the Krajicek and Philippoussis.
David Bradshaw, UK