Rain forecast for Wimbledon before wind sweeps through for final weekend

Umbrellas may again be necessary for tennis fans on Friday as rain is forecast for much of Day 12 at Wimbledon.

The Met Office has also warned of “blustery conditions” leading into the final weekend of the tournament.

The forecaster’s website suggests light rain will begin from 9am on Friday and showers could get heavier at around 2pm, shortly after the first men’s semi-final is due to begin on Centre Court between Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner.

Djokovic’s first-round match on Centre Court against Pedro Cachin on July 3 was delayed amid farcical scenes following a rain delay.

The clash was delayed for nearly an hour and a half after the first set because of a damp court, despite the roof being deployed.

Djokovic maintained good humour about the situation and rubbed a towel on the court to laughter from the crowd, before members of the ground staff used leaf blowers to dry the surface.

The rain could continue through the entire day at the tournament, with the Met Office predicting heavy rain at 4pm and 7pm.

The forecaster’s spokesperson Nicola Maxey told the PA news agency: “There is a (yellow wind warning) on Saturday, covering Wimbledon and may well impact the competition.

“(Friday) we have got some rain which is becoming more widespread across many central and southern areas and rain is likely to certainly affect the South East for much of the day.”

The yellow weather warning has been issued by the Met Office because of strong winds and is in place from 9am to midnight on Saturday.

Ms Maxey said: “That will bring blustery conditions and, again, rain and showers are expected.

“We are expecting to see gusts of 40mph quite widely with some isolated spots seeing 50 to 55mph through the day.

“It is the sort of winds where we might see some minor damage or travel disruption, particularly when you take into account the rainfall that we are expecting to see.”