Wimbledon has been forced to defend its ticketing procedures after television viewers criticised the number of empty seats in its main show courts during the men’s quarter-finals.
Tennis fans following the matches on the BBC complained on Twitter after spotting rows of unoccupied seats on Wednesday during Andy Murray’s three-set victory over Vasek Pospisil.
While most of Centre Court and court one was packed with fans, large blocks of vacant seats were visible behind the former’s royal box, suggesting the unused tickets belonged to members or those on corporate hospitality packages.
Hundreds of tickets each day are allocated to corporate sponsors including Aegon, Nike, JP Morgan and IBM, which also lay on hospitality for their guests in marquee suites inside the All England Club.
Surprised to see empty seats on Centre Court, especially when Murray is playing a qtr final. Know there's enough demand so why?! #Wimbledon
— Katie Cook (@katierosecook) July 8, 2015
Nothing more annoying than seeing empty seats at Wimbledon. Impossible to get tickets yet there are empty seats..... #logic
— Scott Caldwell (@CaldwellScott94) July 8, 2015
As Murray and Pospisil entered the court at 1pm, several hundred seats in the rows behind the royal box were still unoccupied. Though some latecomers filed in during the following games, by the time Murray took the first set 6-4 after 36 minutes of play there were still almost 100 not taken in several large blocks, the majority of which remained empty for the rest of the match.
On court one, hundreds of seats were not filled as Roger Federer and Gilles Simon began their quarter-final at 1pm.
The royal box, by contrast, was packed throughout, with guests including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Albert of Monaco, Paula Radcliffe and Sir Matthew Pinsent arriving on court shortly before play began.
David Beckham and his son Romeo ensured they had taken their seats close to the players’ box in good time for the start of play.
One corporate guest, who declined to be named, said that at 2pm, an hour into Murray’s match, several hundred people were still “milling around” in the hospitality areas rather than taking up their seats.
But Wimbledon defended its policies, saying fewer than 10% of tickets in Centre Court and court one were allocated to the hospitality market.
A spokesman said: “Wimbledon’s policy has always been to ensure that tickets are allocated fairly.” They said the majority of tickets were available via the public ballot, the LTA ballot and the queue, alongside the 2,500 Centre Court and 1,000 court one tickets allocated to debenture holders.
The spokesman added: “Seats may not be occupied for a variety of reasons, for instance, there are matches on 17 other courts, and most often may just be the result of spectators taking a refreshment break which they are perfectly entitled to do.”
As the day progressed, the tournament found itself advising some spectators to leave their seats due to the London Underground strike.
Shortly before 4pm, with Murray in the middle of his match, an announcement flashed on the Centre Court noticeboard telling spectators: “Anyone relying on the tube for transport connections should consider leaving as soon as possible.”
