A turf war is brewing at Wimbledon, with organizers defending the grass after Serena Williams and Adrian Mannarino were injured in back-to-back matches.
No. 60 in the world Meanwhile, Nick Kyrgios complained that the courts are “too slow.”
Mannarino was forced to retire against Roger Federer after slipping and injuring his knee in the fourth set, while Williams appeared to slip and injure herself during a return against Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the first set.
Williams then buckled at the baseline midway through a point and gingerly walked off the court in tears after receiving medical attention, later claiming she had a right leg injury.
“Brutal for @serenawilliams but centre court is extremely slippy … “It’s not easy out there,” tweeted Andy Murray, a two-time Wimbledon champion who had played on the tournament’s main show court on Monday.
During his press conference, Federer learned of Williams’ injury, which allowed him to advance to the second round due to Mannarino’s retirement.
“It feels a tad more slippery maybe under the roof, I don’t know if it’s a gut feel,” he told reporters.
“You do have to move very, very carefully out there, and if you push too hard in the wrong moments, you do go down … this is obviously terrible. I don’t think it plays very different but again I’m also moving carefully.”
In the second round, Federer will face two-time semifinalist Richard Gasquet, who is aiming for a ninth Wimbledon title.
“The preparation of the grass courts has been to exactly the same meticulous standard as in previous years,” the All England Lawn Tennis Club said in a statement to CNN following the two incidents, which happened just an hour apart.
“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.
“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.”
Kyrgios, who isn’t afraid to say what he thinks on the tennis court, had a different gripe about the grass.
Kyrgios said into a courtside camera during his match against Ugo Humbert, which was suspended with the score at 6-4 4-6 3-6 6-1 3-3 “Guys, it should be quick in here for those of you watching at home… They’ve taken things slowly. This is no longer grass.”
On Wednesday, Kyrgios’ match against Humbert will conclude on court number one.
Novak Djokovic, the world No. 1, advanced to the third round of Wimbledon with a straight-set victory over South African Kevin Anderson on Wednesday.
Novak Djokovic, the world No. 1, advanced to the third round of Wimbledon with a straight-set victory over South African Kevin Anderson on Wednesday.
On Centre Court, the 34-year-old won 6-3 6-3 6-3, making only six unforced errors on his way to tying Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal’s record of 20 grand slam titles.
In the next round, he will face Andreas Seppi or Denis Kudla.
