CENTRE Court’s new retractable roof spells the end of an era – no more lengthy rain delays and no more impromptu Cliff Richard sing-alongs.

If the British weather does what it normally does and showers fall on SW19, the state-of-the-art roof will take between eight and 10 minutes to close.

At this point the air management system will kick in, taking between 20 and 30 minutes to remove condensation from the arena before play can resume.

Some players would have preferred the roof to have arrived sooner.

In 2001 Tim Henman looked on course to beat Goran Ivanisevic and reach his first final. Rain meant the game had to be played out over three days, and the downfalls scuppered the British favourite’s momentum.

But rain delays can also add to the dramatic tension.

In last year’s “best final of all time” between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, the delays ratcheted crowd anticipation to fever pitch.

Home viewers will also undoubtedly miss the yearly reruns of classic matches, with youngsters missing out on classic encounters featuring John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg and Jimmy Connors.

Also gone is the chance of another medley with Sir Cliff. His 20-minute sing-along in 1996 was one of the great, or at least, most memorable, Wimbledon moments.