Players slip but Wimbledon boss insists courts good, grippy

Andy Murray winces in pain as he falls during his match against Stefanos Tsitsipas on Thursday. Pic/Getty Images

Wimbledon tournament director Jamie Baker said on Friday the grass courts were “good and grippy” despite several high-profile tumbles in the first week of the Grand Slam.

Two-time champion Andy Murray had a nasty 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 got back up and won the set. US veteran Venus Williams fell heavily in her first-round defeat to Elina Svitolina also on Centre Court on Monday, hurting her already-bandaged right knee. “I was literally killing it, then I got killed by the grass,” said the 43-year-old five-time champion.

Jamie Baker

Novak Djokovic’s match on the same day was delayed for nearly 90 minutes due to a damp court as players expressed concerns over the surface. On Thursday, France’s Alize Cornet crashed to the Centre Court turf when her left leg slipped late in her defeat to defending champion Elena Rybakina, though she was able to carry on with heavy strapping.

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But Baker said players had not expressed concerns over the state of the grass at the Grand Slam, which has been disrupted by rain. “I’m really happy,” he said. “I think the surface is as good and as grippy as I can remember to be honest in the early part of the tournament. There has been a handful of slips but there really hasn’t been many at all.”

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