

Flying ants made an unwelcome return to Wimbledon on Wednesday, prompting complaints from the reigning Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki.



The bugs, which swarm in warm weather, caused problems for players last year when the British No 1 Johanna Konta said she had swallowed some.



Wozniacki, the No 2 seed, urged the umpire to take action during her surprise three-set defeat on Court No 1 to the Russian Ekaterina Makarova.

She said: “They’re in my mouth and in my hair and everywhere – we need to do something. Is there a spray? I want to be here to focus on tennis, not eating bugs.”

The insects could be seen on the court and in the Danish player’s hair, making her fidgety, before she was able to apply repellant. She refused to blame them for her loss but said their presence “was definitely a first for me”.

A spectator, Anne Daw, 63, said: “It seemed like people in the front row were flapping and Caroline Wozniacki certainly seemed very upset about it but it came and went very quickly.”



Citing the Zoological Society of London, a Wimbledon spokeswoman said the bugs usually emerged at the end of the month but had appeared earlier this year.



She said: “As we experienced at the Championships last year, the natural seasonal appearance occurs once a year when ants embark on what is often referred to as a ‘nuptial flight’, which should otherwise be thought of as a mating ritual.”



Facebook Twitter Pinterest Flying ants have emerged earlier than is usual this year. Photograph: James Gourley/Rex/Shutterstock

Another irritation for the All England Lawn Tennis Club is the scheduling of this year’s World Cup final to clash with the Wimbledon men’s singles final.

Mick Desmond, the club’s commercial and media director, said: “It’s slightly surprising Fifa had the idea of kick-off at four o’clock. It’s not something they’ve done in the past but that’s the decision. You know, our tournament [final] always starts at two o’clock – we’ll start at two o’clock.



“There was dialogue [with Fifa] and there was dialogue between the broadcasters. I think broadcasters who’ve got both sets of rights were concerned. At the end of the day, Fifa decided to do that.”



The men’s final is due to begin at 2pm on Sunday 15 July and the World Cup final at 4pm. The tennis will begin on BBC One before moving to BBC Two – for the first time in its history – at 3pm to make way for the football. The average length of the men’s final since 2002 is two hours 53 minutes.



It seems inevitable TV viewing figures will be affected, especially if England reach the World Cup final, but Desmond said there was no question of moving the men’s final an hour earlier.



Asked after his second round defeat which he would watch, the French world No 17, Lucas Pouille, said, smiling: “Definitely soccer, not tennis.”



This video has been removed. This could be because it launched early, our rights have expired, there was a legal issue, or for another reason. Wimbledon day three highlights: Wozniacki falls, Federer and Williams cruise – video

His fellow Frenchman Gaël Monfils, who won in four sets, joked that if he got to the final and France were in it: “I’d be the first player to walk over [during the match] to see the World Cup.”

The only previous time the matches were played on the same day this century – 2006 – the World Cup final, in Germany, was in the evening.

A Fifa spokesman said the 2018 kick-off time was decided in December 2015, taking into account fans attending matches and watching globally on TV.



Wednesday was a “historic” day for the tournament, according to campaigner Mark Leyland, who said it was the first time in 25 years more women’s matches than men’s – 11 to 10 - were scheduled on Wimbledon’s six show courts at the start of play.



Gender disparity in scheduling has been a source of controversy for Wimbledon. Leyland found that in every year from 1993 to 2017 more men’s than women’s matches were scheduled on Centre and No 1 courts, with an average of 61% men’s and 39% women’s matches.



On Wednesday, there were four women’s matches and two men’s on the two main show courts. Victoria Azarenka, who played on Centre Court, said: “I hope it will be the last time we have to talk about it this way and I think that [it] will be a real progress if we stop saying that ‘for the first time in the history’ ... I’m glad it’s moving in the right direction.”

