Wimbledon eyes another profitable year

As the 125th Wimbledon Championships get under way, the man in charge of running the tournament is wondering what the weather holds in store for the next fortnight.

But Ian Ritchie, the chief executive of the All England Club, is not too concerned, as the retractable roof that has been in place on Centre Court since 2009, guarantees that no days will be a complete wash-out.
Even before the roof was built, though, the unpredictable British weather wasn't able to dampen spirits or profits at the tournament.
Last year's event made a £31m profit, or surplus. That is what was left over after the All England Club took out its operating expenses.
The average surplus over the last four or five years has been in the region of £25m to £30m.

All of that is passed on to the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA).

The LTA has been criticised for not doing enough to improve the state of British tennis - Andy Murray is the only British man in the world's top 100, while only two British women make the top 100. But the All England Club refuses to get involved.
"We work on the assumption that what we do is manage the Championships and work on that. What the LTA do with that [money] is up to them," says Mr Ritchie.
Chinese interest Wimbledon makes more than 50% of its gross income from selling the broadcasting rights to the tournament around the world, with the event now shown in 185 countries.
According to Mr Ritchie, Wimbledon made its biggest surplus of about £35m in the late 1980s and early 1990s, boosted by revenues from German TV, when players like Boris Becker and Steffi Graf were at their peak.
Li Na, who became the first Chinese player to win a Grand Slam with her victory at the French Open, is now generating a similar interest in China, and Asia generally.
"We've been in discussions with [state broadcaster] CCTV in China about coverage this year. We've been involved with them for some time," says Mr Ritchie.
But he admits that the revenues generated may not have as much of an overall boost to finances as those from German TV did in the past.
"The rights fees paid in China are not as significant [as in other countries] but you get audiences of tens of millions of people," he says.
"It is important for us to make sure Wimbledon is seen around the world."