No. 1 Court

No. 1 Court stands at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London. It is the second most important match court after Centre Court. The present stadium opened in 1997 on Aorangi Park, north of Centre Court. Before that, an older No. 1 Court stood on the west side of Centre Court from 1924 until it was demolished. The old court once held 7,328 spectators and hosted the Wightman Cup from 1946 to 1972. The new court seats 12,345 people and carries the main programme when Centre Court is fully booked. It has a retractable roof installed in 2019, allowing play to continue during rain. The longest match on No. 1 Court lasted four hours and thirty-six minutes when Lu Yen-hsun beat Andy Roddick in 2010. The first match on the new court was between Tim Henman and Daniel Nestor in 1997. Visitors find a modern stadium with tiered seating rising above Aorangi Park. The court surface is grass, like all Wimbledon courts. A glass-fronted media centre overlooks the south side. The retractable roof folds back to leave the court open to the sky. The area around the stadium is part of the club’s grounds, with lawns and mature trees.