Britain’s Kyle Edmund could catch a glimpse of England’s World Cup game before he steps out for his third-round Wimbledon clash.
The 23-year-old, who is set for a tough match against Novak Djokovic on Saturday, had hoped to be able to watch the team’s quarter-final against Sweden.
The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) said Edmund, the last Brit standing in the singles draw, will play third on Centre Court.
The first match will begin at 1pm, while England’s game will kick off at 3pm.
Solid day in the office… bring on Saturday and let’s make it another double… up the @England ??????? pic.twitter.com/12ao8o19By
— Kyle Edmund (@kyle8edmund) July 5, 2018
The scheduling decision is likely to mean British sports fans can enjoy both the tennis and football.
Edmund may also be able to watch some of the game – if it does not disrupt his pre-match routine.
Since 2005, the average median time for the first point of the third Centre Court match on middle Saturday has been 6.21pm, IBM analysis shows.
The earliest start time for the third match was 3.56pm, but on just two out of 11 occasions did it start before 4.30pm.
After making it through to the third round on Thursday, the Brit said of the scheduling: “I don’t know who does it, but I am sure they will factor it in.
“I don’t mind either way, obviously I am a tennis player, so I am here to do my job first.
“Hopefully it will be a success for both of us, England and myself.”
He added: “It will just be interesting to hopefully get to watch the match.”
A spokeswoman for the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) said: “Scheduling takes into account any reasonable requests from players, coaches, and the media before the release of the daily schedule.”
Spaniard Rafael Nadal takes on Australian Alex De Minaur first on Centre Court on Saturday, before Angelique Kerber, from Germany, and Naomi Osaka, from Japan, battle it out in the women’s singles.
