Wimbledon introduced a retractable roof on Centre Court in 2009. The roof was completed in time for that year's Championships, ending one of the tournament's most persistent problems: rain delays on its most important court.
Building work began after the 2006 Championships, when the existing roof over the stands was removed. The project became especially memorable after the 2008 men's final, which was interrupted by rain and eventually finished in near-darkness. The completed roof was unveiled in April 2009 and tested during a May exhibition featuring Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf, Tim Henman and Kim Clijsters.
The roof can close in about 10 minutes, but Wimbledon allows additional time for the stadium to acclimatise before play resumes. The first competitive Championships match played under the closed roof was Amélie Mauresmo versus Dinara Safina on 29 June 2009. The first complete match under it was Andy Murray's late-night victory over Stan Wawrinka later that day.