The All England Club has dismissed concerns over the quality of their courts at this year’s Championships following a series of slips and falls.
On Tuesday at the tournament, two matches on Centre Court ended in retirement. First, it was France’s Adrian Mannarino who slipped on the surface and twisted his knee. Resulting in the world No.41, who was celebrating his 33rd birthday, having to call it a day at the start of the fifth set in his match against Roger Federer. Then 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams slipped twice during her match before being forced to retire whilst leading 3-1. The American had worn strapping on her leg prior to her match starting but she was in visible discomfort following the falls.
“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,” said eight-time champion Federer
“I do feel it’s drier during the day. With the wind and all that stuff, it takes the (moisture) out of the grass. But this is obviously terrible.”
The duo of unfortunate incidents has raised questions about if the courts are more dangerous than previous years. A theory which has been dismissed by Wimbledon chiefs. On social media Andy Murray commented that Centre Court is ‘extremely slippy’ and is ‘not easy to move.’ The Brit suffered a series of slips during his clash with Nikoloz Basilashvili on Monday.
Another player to have experienced his fair share of slips was Novak Djokovic during his first round match against Jack Draper where he came back from a set down before winning.
“To be honest, I don’t recall falling this many times on the court,” the world No.1 said afterwards.
On the outside courts some players have experienced similar issues with rising star Coco Gauff being one of them. Although the American argues that part of the reason might be linked to a lack of match play on grass. The grasscourt swing usually lasts no longer than a month and last year it was cancelled all together due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I didn’t realize this till after the match, but my coaches were telling me when I was going to get my towel, the ground was super wet in the back so it was causing my shoes to get wet; therefore, I was slipping a little bit,” she said.
“No one is really used to moving on grass because the season is so short. People are bound to have slips and falls.”
No quality issues
It is far from uncommon for the surface at Wimbledon to be slippery, especially with the roof closed which can lead to additional moisture. On Center Court, 50 out of 52 weeks there is no play on the surface in order to ensure the grass is in top condition for the championships. As more players play on the court the lush conditions should firm up. Something which was also pointed out by Federer.
“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,” he said. “As the tournament progresses, usually it gets harder and easier to move on.”
In a statement issued on Tuesday, The All England Club says their approach to the management of the court’s has been no different to any other year. Dismissing the idea that with no play taking place last year due to the tournament getting cancelled, the surface posed more of a danger. Instead, they linked the incidents to higher than usual amounts of rain which has disrupted the start of the championships.
“The preparation of the grass courts has been to exactly the same meticulous standard as in previous years. Each grass court is checked by the Grand Slam Supervisors, Referee’s Office and Grounds team ahead of play commencing, and on both days of the Fortnight they have been happy with the conditions and cleared the courts for play,” a statement reads.
“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 on what is a natural surface.”
The statement goes on to mention that daily readings are taken event day by the The Grounds team and Sports Turf Research Institute (STRI) to ensure courts have the right moisture and are playing consistently.
