Wimbledon tournament dates will not change

The All England Club today confirmed that the 2005 Wimbledon Championships will continue to be played over the traditional dates…

The All England Club today confirmed that the 2005 Wimbledon Championships will continue to be played over the traditional dates in June and July.

The announcement follows speculation that the dates could change in 2005 to accommodate a third week between the French Open and Wimbledon for players to get used to the switch from clay to grass.

Chief Executive of the All England Club, Mr Christopher Gorringe, said: "We are acutely aware that huge numbers of visitors to Wimbledon and many organisations connected to the event make their plans well in advance. Confirmation of the dates for 2005 should help us all."

The dates of The Championships for 2006 and beyond remain provisional, while discussions continue on the desirability of increasing the gap between Roland Garros and Wimbledon. Next year's championships are scheduled to be held from June 21 to July 4 and 2005's from June 20 to July 3.