Tennis fans hoping to bag a seat at this year’s Wimbledon finals have been left frustrated and disappointed by long virtual queues and apparent technical glitches as tickets became available today (June 16)

More than 170,000 tickets were put on sale at 1pm, with long queues online building up as hundreds of thousands tried to get a place.

Screenshots posted to social media showed users stuck in the virtual queue between tens of thousands of people.

But despite many braving the rush for a ticket, thousands will have been left disappointed after all places were sold out in around 40 minutes.

Read more: Full capacity for Wimbledon finals despite delay to 'Freedom Day'

Others complained they hadn't been emailed their access code after pre-registering to try and bag tickets for the reduced capacity Grand Slam.

The final steps of the coronavirus recovery road map have been delayed by four weeks, until July 19, due to a rise in cases linked to the Delta variant of Covid-19.

But Wimbledon’s women’s final on July 10 and men’s showpiece the following day will be watched by a full Centre Court in SW19.

AELTC Chairman Ian Hewitt commented: “It is with great enthusiasm and excitement that we are putting the finishing touches to our preparation for The Championships this year, and the return of the world’s best players to our grass courts, with ticket-holders in the stands.

"We very much look forward to staging an event that is a success for all, inspires players and fans alike, and creates a spotlight for tennis, and sport, in the UK and around the world.”

AELTC Chief Executive Sally Bolton OBE commented: “We are thrilled to be able to stage The Championships in front of a minimum 50 per cent capacity crowd as part of the Government Events Research Programme and extend our thanks to all those we are working closely with to make this happen from Government, the public health bodies, Merton, and of course our own teams.

"Our aspiration is to stage the best Championships possible, but it has always been our absolute priority to do this safely. We hope that the COVID-status certification requirements for ticket-holders, and the Minimised Risk Environment for players, their teams and officials, will provide the reassurance to those in our community, and all those who make Wimbledon happen, that we will deliver on this paramount objective.”