Your top 10 Wimbledon questions answered

Your questions have been a BBC Sport topic since Wimbledon 2025 first became available.

Hundreds of you have been in touch and we’ve picked out some of the best to take a look at.

John in Bedford

Even though ballot tickets for the 2025 Championships had already sold out months prior, there were still plenty of empty seats in the Center Court and Court One stands. Why ?

Wimbledon operations manager Michelle Dine spoke to BBC Sport on Tuesday.

There are a lot more people scurrying around the grounds, she said, “because it was so hot.”

“We’re constantly sending out reminders to people to get water.” So maybe there were a few more people that were off court just trying to find some shade and take a bit of a break”.

Play begins at 11am and can run for 12 hours. Some fans may not have time to spend the entire day at SW19; however, travel plans may prompt some to arrive before the game ends or to leave before it ends.

Russell in Frome

A custom that dates back to the late 19th century involves men playing best-of-five matches and women playing only three.

Best-of-five matches were held when the men’s singles competition at Wimbledon first took place in 1877. When the women’s singles followed in 1884, they played best-of-three-set matches because of a perception they had less stamina.

Lancashire’s Zac

Tennis balls are made of a hollow rubber core, filled with pressurised air, with compound felt cover comprised of cotton, nylon and wool.

That hasn’t, however, always been the case.

The first rubber balls were created in the middle of the 20th century when modern lawn tennis first started to take shape. Wear and tear to the outside of the rubber eventually led to efforts to create a protective covering.

Owen in Manchester

Depending on the color of the court, tennis balls were once either black or white.

When David Attenborough, the most well-known naturalist in the world, took over control of BBC Two in the beginning of his television career.

However, it was frequently difficult to distinguish the white lines of the court from the white ones, and it was difficult to tell whether or not shots were coming in or out.

Attenborough suggested a change of colour to something more visible. The International Tennis Federation conducted a number of tests to determine the color ball’s clearest spot, eventually coming up with fluorescent yellow.

Robert in Brixton

Before serving, tennis players typically take three balls from the ball crew.

They will generally give one back, put one in their pocket, and keep hold of the third. The pocket serves as a buffer between the second and third serves, allowing for the player to continue playing without having to hand the player a second ball.

Players typically evaluate the three balls by sight and touch before choosing which to keep and which to give back when holding them. They do so in order to try to gain an advantage.

The inside of a tennis ball loses air pressure as a result, and the outside becomes more frayed.

A ball with a high air pressure and smooth exterior will move more quickly through the air, making a quick first serve preferable.

Meanwhile, a ball which has slightly less air pressure and more frayed exterior can be more suitable for a slower serve with more spin, making them potentially useful for the second serve.

Beth in Essex

In each of the four Grand Slam draws, there are 32 seeds for men’s and women’s singles. The ranking of players in the lead-up to the tournament determines seeding. For the 2025 edition, the cut-off date was 23 June.

This is accomplished by the men’s singles players using their ATP Tour rankings. The WTA Tour rankings are used for the women’s singles. Players are seeded in the order in which they rank.

Casper Ruud, Arthur Fils, and Sebastian Korda would all have qualified this year, but they all withdrew because of injury. As a result, Alex Michelsen, Tallon Griekspoor and Matteo Berrettini were seeded 30th, 31st and 32nd respectively.

Craig in Wrexham

The All England Club announced an 11pm curfew for Wimbledon games in 2009, the same day as the roof of the Centre Court was unveiled.

The curfew was put in place to “balance the consideration of local residents with the scale of an international tennis event that takes place in a residential area.”

Cumbria’s Becky

Players apply sun cream before matches, and may do so again during changes of end.

Rainer in Oxford

When a shot is hit out of play or a player breaks on a serve, line calls can now be heard at Wimbledon thanks to line judges.

Players and fans complained that bellows line judges’ loudspeakers were ineffective when called into action.

Jack and Sarah are both from Nottingham and Sarah is from Derby.

The cream used in the classic Wimbledon snack is double cream, which is sourced from British dairies.

Alternatives that are vegan are also present.

Ask Me Anything is a service dedicated to answering your questions. These question were submitted by Chris in Sutton Coldfield, Heidi in Leeds, Zac in Lancashire, David in Chesterfield, Beth in Essex, Sarah in Derby, Craig in Wrexham, Cumbria’s Becky, Angela in Chichester, and Lorna in Oxfordshire. Thanks, all!

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