Wimbledon changing tournament dates

LONDON, July 19 (UPI) -- The All England Club said Thursday the Championships at Wimbledon will be pushed back one week in 2015, creating more time between it and the French Open.

As of 2015, Wimbledon will start three weeks after the conclusion of the French Open. In 2015, Wimbledon will run from June 29-July 12. This year the tournament was played June 25-July 8.

Organizers said they made the change to give players a chance to recover from the French Open and adjust to grass courts after the clay in Paris.

The current schedule has the tennis year's second and third major tournaments played in a 6-week period.

"All our research indicates that there is widespread support within the game for extending the gap between the French Open and Wimbledon and, importantly, we think most players will welcome the prospect of a longer grass court season and spending more time on the softer surface of grass," said All England Club Chairman Philip Brook.