Sir Andy Murray has hit out at Wimbledon after the the All England Club closed the roof on Centre Court early during Jannik Sinner’s match against Grigor Dimitrov.
Men’s No1 seed Sinner found himself two sets down in his last-16 match against Dimitrov on Monday when, at around 8.30pm, the decision was made to close the roof.
Dimitrov was in his flow as he led Sinner 6-3, 7-5, but there was a 19-minute delay between the end of the second set and the start of the third for the roof to shut.
That allowed Sinner, who was struggling with some pain in his elbow, to retreat to the locker room and retrieve painkillers that his coach Darren Cahill was gesturing for him to take in the players’ box.
Dimitrov initially remained on-court, but disappeared for a short while too before returning for a three-minute warm-up.
The 19th seed, however, was not able to win one final set and complete a stunning victory, as he injured his pectoral muscle while serving.
He was treated on and off-court before being forced to forfeit and gift Sinner a place in the last eight against Ben Shelton, the American 10th seed.
Murray, a two-time champion at the Championships, took to X to vent his frustration about the roof closure.
“So ridiculous to close the roof at this stage of the match,” Murray tweeted.
“At least an hour of light left… well over a set of tennis can still be played... it’s an outdoor tournament!”
So ridiculous to close the roof at this stage of the match. At least an hour of light left….well over a set of tennis can still be played..its an outdoor tournament! 👎
— Andy Murray (@andy_murray) July 7, 2025
Murray’s former coach Brad Gilbert also spoke of his surprise at the early closings of the roofs this year.
“This is day 8 @Wimbledon and the 7th time this tournament will finish under roof, not for rain, because of long matches, never seen this happen before,” Gilbert posted on X.
Former British No1 Tim Henman explained why the AELTC had taken the decision that they did.
“I don’t think [they could have played a whole set before nightfall] on Centre Court,” Henman said.
“Outside it will be brighter but inside there is less light so they probably could have played six games, get to quarter to nine, then it gets dark. But they try to shut the roof at a convenient time.”
There has long been a debate on the start times of play on the show courts, with many questioning why the AELTC does not schedule play for earlier in the day when matches run longer and longer.
Matches on the main arenas - Centre Court and No1 Court - do not start until 1pm at the earliest, while Marin Cilic, who was beaten by 22nd seed Flavio Cobolli on No2 Court, started at 11am, as is the norm for the outdoor courts.
Interestingly, Cilic, Jack Draper’s second-round conqueror, voiced his concerns over just how early matches start.
The Croat bemoaned his earlier start time, pointing to the slippy and soft conditions thanks to rainfall overnight.
"I don't like to speak about the conditions,” Cilic said.
“Okay, I lost and everything. I have to accept it. Flavio played fantastically and obviously great for him, but I feel bitter because why is there a need to play at 11am, where even the practice courts open at 9.30am?
“This morning I was warming up indoors. You wake up at 6am. Okay, all the matches in the earlier rounds start at 11am, but we [are in] the last 16.
"It's raining overnight, and the court was quite soft. It was really difficult to play on. You just push the ball in the middle of the court, and the ball just stays super low. It was just a struggle.”
