Wimbledon plans stuck in the rough

TEnnIS fans may have to queue overnight on Wimbledon Park Golf Club grounds for a Centre Court ticket, but the All England Club face a wait of 26 years to develop the facility.

The AEC bought the freehold of the golf course from Merton Council for a bargain £5.5million in 1993, but the lease lasts until 2041, and only then can plans be implemented to extend the tennis tournament on to the adjoining land.

The 800 golf members have voted to play on for over two more decades, although one option considered was to negotiate an early exit with their super-rich tennis neighbours in return for a big fee and help in finding a new home.

A working party report said: ‘The board’s policy has been to play golf here for as long as we can. The club has a healthy membership, we do not have a problem recruiting and it is by London standards extraordinarily good value.’

Wimbledon’s grand ambitions are such that an earlier golf- club proposal to keep a nine-hole course after the tennis takeover was rejected.

The golf club, established in 1898, makes £1.1m a year just for providing Wimbledon with space for car parking and the queue.

lJUDY

MURRAY has been at loggerheads with the Lawn Tennis Association more often than not throughout her career. But relations are now so improved that Federation Cup captain Judy (right) has signed a long-term commercial agreement with the LTA to partner her burgeoning Miss-Hits brand to introduce young girls to tennis. AUSTRALIAn Bob Brett has been a failure as the LTA’s player development director to such an extent that he is now concentrating on coaching while a new performance chief is recruited. yet Brett will still receive a yearly bonus related to how British players improve in the rankings.

Michael downey, the LTA chief executive, also receives a considerable bonus on top of his £434,000 salary based on a number of criteria including participation and player success.

lTHE

World Tour Finals are expected to stay at the O2 for another three years from 2016 when the ATP board vote on the venue next week. And Barclays are likely to remain as sponsors for the end-of-season event which features the world’s top eight men — especially if London remains its home. The support from Barclays, who took time to engage with tennis, comes as the bank are finishing their Premier League sponsorship at the end of next season.