Does Wimbledon’s Court 1 have a roof? Has SW19’s 2nd largest court got a retractable roof - when was it fitted

Wimbledon is back, with the world’s most famous grass-court tournament once again set to provide one of the highlights of the sporting calendar.

Last year’s singles competitions were won by Novak Djokovic and Ashleigh Barty, but the latter will not be defending her title after announcing her retirement from tennis earlier this year.

As always, Wimbledon will take place over the course of a fortnight - although scheduling could be affected by weather conditions.

Frequent rainy days have proven to be a source of frustration for many tennis fans throughout the years but the introduction of a roof on Centre Court has ensured at least some play continues.

But does Court 1 at Wimbledon have a roof? Here’s everything you need to know...

Does Court 1 at Wimbledon have a roof?

The good news for tennis fans is Court 1 at Wimbledon does have a retractable roof.

In 2013, the All England Club announced its intention to refurbish areas of Court 1, including hospitality facilities, crowd capacity, and implementing a retractable roof.

The roof covers the entire grass playing surface as well as the spectators in the new 12,345 capacity arena - an increase of around 1,000 seats to the old Court 1 stadium.

The reconstruction was finished in 2019 in time for that year's Wimbledon Championships.

A ceremony to mark the completion of work saw a host of former champions and greats attend a celebratory event in May 2019, with the roof closed for the first time that summer.

A men's doubles match featuring Britain tennis great Andy Murray saw the roof closed for the first time during a competitive match at Wimbledon.

What is the roof on Court 1 at Wimbledon made from?

The roof on Court 1 is made up from a 80,000 square foot fabric, which requires more than 11,100 steel trusses to pull it from one end of the court to the middle.

At the middle, it meets the other half of the retractable roof to provide a seal and protect the inside of the arena from the elements of the great British summer time.

As part of the design, architects maximised the amount of natural sunlight on to the court to help grass maintenance while keeping it true to the stadium's historic circular design.

What was the capacity of Court 1 at Wimbledon?

The original Court 1 at Wimbledon was attached to the west side of Centre Court when it was first built in 1924, with a capacity of roughly 3,250.

It had a capacity for 2,500 seats and around 750 standing spectators.

This capacity was increased over the years to 7,250 before it became apparent that the site of the court had its limitations, which saw organisers plot an expansion north of Centre Court.

The old Court 1 was replaced in 1997, with Tim Henman taking on Daniel Nestor in the first match to be played on the new court, which had a capacity of 11,400.

The old court was demolished and the site is currently occupied by the Millennium Building, a media centre and facility for players, members and officials.