Wimbledon five-year debenture tickets "to double in price" as as investors prepare to swoop on valuable seats

The cost of a five-year debenture ticket at Wimbledon will “double in price to £100,000” as investors prepare to swoop on the lucrative seats.

The 2021-25 Centre Court debentures go on sale on Thursday morning, with tickets expected to be listed for £100,000 - twice as much as the 2015-20 sale.

Although the All England Lawn Tennis Club would not comment directly on the figure, the Guardian reported that the seats were expected to be made available for purchase for at least a six-figure sum.

The price hike has led some commentators to speculate that the tickets may be used as investment vehicles, rather that going to genuine tennis fans.

Alan Higgins, the chief investment officer at Coutts, told the Guardian that although most tickets were made as “passion investments”, some people “use it as a business and sell nearly all the tickets”.

After the last round, there were grumblings in SW19 that they had been sold too cheaply, at £50,000 for five years.

According to the Wimbledon website, three debentures traded hands for more than £123,000 each in April last year. That is despite there only being two years left until they expire.

Because debenture ticket holders can sell individual days, the earning potential is huge.

When Andy Murray beat Novak Djokovic in the 2013 final, a pair of top-end seats was listed for £71,000 on a ticket resale site.

The upcoming issue of up to 2,520 debentures could generate £250 million for the AELTC, with the tickets being the main source of income for the club.

This is the 99th year of the debenture programme, which was first launched to help fund the construction of centre court.

Since then, the funds have been used to build Courts 1, 2 and 3, as well as a permanent 2,600 sq ft Wimbledon Shop.

Applications for debenture tickets can be made online at wimbledon.com until 10 May.