Wimbledon tennis stars blast slippery grass during wettest championship in a decade
MORE players slip at Wimbledon: Novak Djokovic and other stars take a tumble the day after tearful Serena Williams was forced to retire injured as players blast slippery grass and blame roof during wettest championship in a decade
- Sir Andy Murray, Roger Federer and Coco Gauff were among those to comment
- Meanwhile Serena Williams was forced to retire injured after she lost her footing
- Seven-time champion appeared to hurt her ankle when she fell on Centre Court
- Today a grass expert said the Centre Court roof could be locking in moisture
Top tennis players have again slipped while playing at WImbledon a day after Serena Williams’ fall forced her to retire injured.
Novak Djokovic, Kei Nishikori, John Isner and Bianca Andreescu were the latest to tumble today after heavy rain led to slippery grass.
It comes after professionals pointed their fingers at the Centre Court roof amid the wettest championship in a decade.
Sir Andy Murray and Coco Gauff were among those to comment on the surface after it rained in south west London yesterday, while Roger Federer said he had previously found the surface to be more slippery when the roof was shut because of a build up of humidity.
Williams was forced to retire injured after she lost her footing against Aliaksandra Sasnovich on Centre Court. The seven-time champion appeared to hurt her ankle when she fell after the stadium’s roof was closed due to the bad weather.
Wimbledon has defended itself against criticism of its grass, with a spokesman saying the club was satisfied with the quality of the surface and it had been the wettest start to a tournament ‘in almost a decade’.
Federer said this year’s problems are not new. ‘Those first two matches are always extremely difficult. But it’s always been like this,’ the eight-time Wimbledon champion said.
‘I feel for a lot of players, it’s super-key to get through those first two rounds because the grass is more slippery, it is more soft. As the tournament progresses, it usually gets harder and easier to move on.’
In 2013, several players slipped on one day, including Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka, who was left injured. The day was dubbed ‘Wacky Wednesday’ by newspapers.
Novak Djokovic (pictured), Kei Nishikori, John Isner and Bianca Andreescu were the latest to tumble today after heavy rain led to slippery grass
Djokovic is pictured as he slips during his second round match Wimbledon Tennis Championships
Kei Nishikori slips on the grass during his first round gentlemen’s singles match against Alexei Popyrin on court 17
Canada’s Bianca Andreescu lies on the floor after a slip during her first round match against France’s Alize Cornet
Serena Williams is one of the players to complain about the ‘slippy’ conditions at Wimbledon. She was seen falling to the ground on Centre Court yesterday
The seven-time singles’ winner was visibly in pain after suffering an ankle injury six games in
Williams later bowed out of the game just six games into her first-round match
Federer said he believed the Centre Court roof made the grass more slippy, saying: ‘I do feel it feels a tad more slippery maybe under the roof.
‘I don’t know if it’s just a gut feeling. You do have to move very, very carefully out there. If you push too hard in the wrong moments, you do go down.
Analysing why this may be the case, Joseph Page of Joe’s Lawn Care told MailOnline: ‘Moisture is more likely to build up in an enclosed space, particularly with fans and players in there.
‘It’s a bit like being inside a greenhouse. However, there will be ventilation and air con in there so I couldn’t comment on the technicalities of this particular situation.
‘The groundsmen will be assessing everything by the hour and looking after things so well.
‘You need a higher level of moisture in the turf to keep it green in the first place, so it’s always a play off between keeping the surface moist but also dry enough so the ball can bounce.’
Sir Andy, 34, said in a tweet he had found Centre Court slippery when he played on Monday.
He posted after Williams retired: ‘Brutal for @serenawilliams but centre court is extremely slippy out there. Not easy to move out there.’
Federer, 39, echoed his words saying that ‘you do have to move very, very carefully out there’.
He added: ‘I do feel it feels a tad more slippery maybe under the roof. I don’t know if it’s just a gut feeling. If you push too hard in the wrong moments, you do go down.’
Gauff, 17, the youngest star ranked in the top 100, struggled during her match against the Brit Francesca Jones due to the surface.
She said after she won the match: ‘Today was tough, because it was a bit slippery and I slipped a lot of times.’
Coco Gauff was also seen slipping and sliding during her first round game against Briton Francesca Jones yesterday
The US star on the grass during yesterday’s action at the All England Club
Williams bowed out of Wimbledon in tears last night after the ankle injury forced her to retire just six games into her first-round match.
Wearing a layered, floaty skirt the US superstar was overcome with emotion as she limped off Centre Court to huge applause from a sympathetic crowd.
The shock blow came after she slipped and appeared to hurt her ankle when she was 3-1 up against Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus.
The athlete – who was vying for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title – appeared to glare at the turf before going off court for treatment.
Although she returned ten minutes later, the pain was evident on her face as she tried to serve.
And, despite her best efforts, she decided she could go no further with the score at 3-3.
Her opponent said: ‘I’m so sad for Serena. She is a great champion. It happens sometimes in tennis, but all the best to her.’
France’s Adrian Mannarino (pictured) also slipped on the same side of Centre Court as Williams and was later forced to retire with an injury
France’s Adrian Mannarino also slipped on the same side of Centre Court as Williams and was later forced to retire with an injury.
The 33-year-old said: ‘I just slid down and it was really slippery. I heard a big crack and I knew straight away that I wouldn’t be able to do anything any more.’
It came after a day of heavy rain saw players slipping on outside courts and play delayed or cancelled.
A Wimbledon spokesman said ‘the preparation of the grass courts has been to exactly the same meticulous standard as in previous years’.
They added: ‘The weather conditions on the opening two days have been the wettest we have experienced in almost a decade, which has required the roof to be closed on Centre Court and No 1 Court for long periods.
‘This is at a time when the grass plant is at its most lush and green, which does result in additional moisture.’
