Neal Skupski and Desirae Krawczyk take Wimbledon mixed doubles title

The first silverware of this year’s Wimbledon was handed out on Thursday night, Britain’s Neal Skupski and American Desirae Krawczyk winning the mixed doubles title with a 6-4, 6-3 win over the Australians Matt Ebden and Sam Stosur. It was the first time that the mixed doubles final has been played on a Thursday evening, moved from its usual slot after the men’s singles final on Sunday.

In part, the move was to try to avoid the half-empty stadiums seen in many years and to give the mixed doubles a unique slot of its own. It also offered fans at Wimbledon on Thursday, traditionally a day when a ticket to Centre Court has two women’s singles semi-finals, an extra match, added entertainment and value for money. “Thanks for coming out to watch,” Krawczyk said.

The mixed doubles has always been popular with fans at Wimbledon; for those who play tennis recreationally, it’s the form of the game they probably play the most. On a warm evening, last year’s champions, Skupski and Krawczyk, became the first pair to win the title two years in a row since Cyril Suk and Helena Sukova in 1996 and 1997.

In a sport that rightly celebrates the exploits of its singles champions, it is often forgotten that there is an awful lot going on at Wimbledon. In addition to the two women’s singles semi-finals on Thursday, there were 13 other events on show, from the men’s and women’s doubles, junior singles and doubles events, to wheelchair singles and even the invitational events, which feature many former champions. Even allowing for the fact that the Centre Court crowd was treated to an extra match, including the trick shot king, Mansour Bahrami, a grounds pass ticket, which allows access to everywhere except the show courts, was just £20,