Wimbledon expansion delayed with qualifying not expected on site until 2029 at the earliest

Wimbledon qualifying is not expected to be played on the site of the All England Club until 2029, according to a consultation exercise with local residents.

Wimbledon Park Golf Club was bought for £64million by the All England Club back in 2018 with a view to expanding the championships and bringing qualifying on site as early as 2025.

But that process is now expected to be delayed and is still reliant on planning permission from the local councils.

In the consultation document, residents were told: “If we receive planning permission from the London boroughs of Merton and Wandsworth, it will take at least six years to construct the new tennis courts.

“It will take at least two years for these courts to mature enough to be suitable to be used for the championships.”

That means qualifying looks set to remain at its traditional base in Roehampton for the foreseeable future.

The purchase of the land two years ago, which led to an £86,000 payout for members of the golf club, will increase the size of Wimbledon’s current 42-acre site by a further 73 acres.