Francesca Jones will approach Wimbledon tournament officials with a special request to ensure her matches do not clash with England's World Cup fixtures. The British No. 4, who is in the main draw for the first time via direct entry, wants to watch every England game with her father, Simon, who has been traveling with her throughout the grass season.
Balancing Tennis and Football at Wimbledon
As Wimbledon coincides with the World Cup, players face a dilemma between competing on court and following the football. Jones, ranked 103rd in the world, is determined not to miss a moment of England's campaign. “I'll be watching every match, start to finish. I watch the pre-match and post-match interviews. It's really interesting that they're interviewing the coaches at half-time,” she said after a first-round loss to Jelena Ostapenko in Eastbourne.
Jones has already considered the logistics, especially with late kickoff times. “It depends what time the game is. If it's 11pm, I would watch the first half, because I'm a night owl. I'd probably go to midnight. If I'm not playing the next day, I would stay awake, for sure,” she added.
Previous Success with Schedule Requests
This is not the first time Jones has made such a request. During her Wimbledon debut in 2021 as a wildcard, she asked to be scheduled away from an England match. She recalled: “I've done that before. It was 2021. I asked them to push me, but I was on court while England were playing, so I asked the score at 6-5 in the first set. Then someone celebrated a goal in the second set, and I asked him, 'I'm guessing you're an England fan?' He was like, 'We just scored', I went, 'F***ng great!'”
She also made similar requests at tournaments in Nottingham and Birmingham. “I always ask around the England fixtures. It depends on the supervisor. Claire Wood was the supervisor in Birmingham 250. She's English and I have a good relationship with her. I was like, 'Just do us a little favour',” Jones said. “It's helpful that we're in England during this period because I get away with it a bit more. But I do try to request it. The big thing for me is sitting with my dad and watching it. I don't get many opportunities to sit and watch football with my dad. I love watching football. I do it normally by myself on a Sunday on the sofa. So it's nice to be able to sit with my dad and watch an England match.”
Limits to Accommodation
Jones acknowledges that Wimbledon organizers cannot be too accommodating, especially for overnight games. “If I said it's at 2am, they'd tell me to get stuffed. If we're playing in the evening, then I'll ask to play first or second,” she said. The world No. 103 earned her first main-draw Grand Slam win at the French Open earlier this year and is eager to secure her first victory at the All England Club.
