BREAK POINT

Wimbledon Warns Visitors Against Using Prayer Room for Sex

Tournament organizers say they’ll ensure “people are using it in the right way.”

A quiet room at Wimbledon intended to be used for prayer and meditation shouldn’t be used by visitors as a place to have sex, the tournament’s organizers say. In 2022, the room close to Court 12 was reportedly used by tennis fans for sneaky trysts, with some visitors expressing shock at seeing couples looking “sheepish” or sporting “big grins” when they came out. Another visitor to last year’s event allegedly heard “sounds of intimacy” inside one of the two rooms. Sally Bolton, the All England Lawn Tennis Club’s chief executive, says the space ought to be respected as a “sanctuary.” “It’s a really important space,” Bolton said on the first day of the Grand Slam. “So, we will be retaining it and we’ll be making sure that people are using it the right way. If people need space to go to pray, it’s the quiet space for that. There is an opportunity to breastfeed in there. But, we are looking for it to be used in the right way.”