Spectacular ????#Wimbledon #RoofForAll @MalteseTenor pic.twitter.com/Qq9qlftInD
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) May 19, 2019
Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja was one of the star attractions on Sunday as Wimbledon unveiled a new £70 million (€79 million) retractable roof at its No. 1 Court.
Calleja delivered a stirring rendition of Con te partirò, a song made famous by Andrea Bocelli, accompanied by an orchestra and choir, as the famous tennis venue hosted a day of celebrations to reveal the new roof ahead of the summer Wimbledon championships.
The new roof, which has taken three years to build, will close in under 10 minutes and allow the action to continue regardless of the weather. No. 1 Court’s capacity has also been increased by around 1,000 seats, rising to 12,345.
Sunday’s celebration also involved a number of exhibition matches featuring Wimbledon legends Martina Navratilova, John McEnroe, Lleyton Hewitt and Goran Ivanisevic, as well as current stars Venus Williams and Jamie Murray.
Further entertainment was provided by English singer Paloma Faith. The performance was broadcast live on the BBC and other networks.