The director of the Wimbledon event, Jamie Baker, stated on Friday that the grass courts were “good and grippy” despite the fact that numerous high-profile players had fallen during the first week of the Grand Slam.
Andy Murray, a two-time winner, took a horrific fall on Centre Court as he served for a two-sets-to-one lead in his second-round match against Stefanos Tsitsipas late on Thursday, but he got back up and won the set. Murray is the only player to win both of his Grand Slam titles on Centre Court.
Venus Williams, a professional tennis player from the United States, suffered an injury to her right knee after a serious fall during her match against Elina Svitolina, which took place on Centre Court on the same day.
“I was literally killing it, then I got killed by the grass,” recalled the five-time winner, who was 43 years old at the time.
The match that was scheduled to be played on the same day by Novak Djokovic was postponed for roughly 90 minutes as a result of a moist court. Players voiced worries over the surface.
On Thursday, France’s Alize Cornet fell on the Centre Court grass after experiencing a slip of her left leg late in her match against Elena Rybakina, but she was able to continue playing with heavy strapping. Rybakina went on to win the match.
However, according to Baker, players have not voiced any worries over the condition of the grass at the Grand Slam, which has been negatively affected by rain.
He said, “I’m really happy,” and I believe him. “If I’m being really honest, I’d say that the surface is as nice and as sticky as I can remember it being at this point in the tournament.
There have been a few lapses in judgment, but there haven’t been very many at all.
“Andy obviously slipped last night in the end, but those instances actually could happen in the final just as much as at the start and particularly because we’ve had the roof on a lot of the time,” said the commentator.
Baker also addressed the subject of the curfew that is in place at Wimbledon. On Thursday evening, the match between Murray and Tsitsipas had to be halted because the curfew was about to take effect at 2200 GMT.
Although the matter is “constantly” under review, the director stated that authorities will not amend the rules on start times in order to assure earlier finishes during the Grand Slam.
“What we’re really trying to do, particularly when it comes to the scheduling and tennis decisions, is try to avoid making a knee-jerk decision based on one or two matches and trying to take at least a three-year picture of what happens,” said the tennis director. “What we’re really trying to do is try to take at least a three-year picture of what happens.”
He continued by saying, “That was an unbelievable letdown yesterday, but if our data show that it occurs once every five years, then maybe on that balance the time is okay.”
FAQ’s
Q1. How many grass tennis courts are there at Wimbledon?
There are eight courts made of American clay, in addition to the 8 courts made of grass for the Championships and the 20 grass practice courts. The courts, with the exception of the grass courts, are utilized throughout the year by members of the Club and players who are sponsored by the LTA.
