Wimbledon is famous for its grass surface and it takes pride in it. The field staff work day and night with modern technology to make the courts green and attractive so that the audience have a very unique experience which they can never forget. But what happens when everyone starts to criticize their grass surface , the thing which is their utmost pride? Do they accept such criticism or completely deny it?
The injury to Serena Williams , who retired midway through the first set of her match with Aliaksandra Sasnovich after twice slipping on the Centre Court grass in the same game, provoked headlines and questions.
Is the Wimbledon grass more slippery than usual? Has anything changed? Is it just a case of the heavy , damp conditions having an extra effect?
Williams injury which followed by a knee injury to Frenchman Adrian Mannarino when he was testing Roger Federer to the limit was of course a huge shame for Williams and for the All England Club, for whom the quality of the grass courts is everything.
But it is also not surprising . In fact, it's relatively normal.
Centre Court is only played on for two weeks every year, during the championships. The other 50 weeks of the year, it is out of bounds to all the club members to keep it pristine for Wimbledon itself.
When the grass is in perfect shape it tends to be lush in the first days until a large number of players have competed on it and worn it down a little.
Federer said," Those first two matches are always extremely difficult . But its always been like this. 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, usually gets harder and easier to move on."
Grass is a surface that requires specific movement, asking players to stay lower than usual , taking extra care of their ankles,in particular. Players these days are well used to having their ankles taped but even with all the precautions and the knowledge of what's needed, one misstep and an injury can occur.
The intermittent rain of the first two days did not help. When it's hot and dry overhead, the grass dries faster; when it's damp, it takes longer to dry.
The All England Club said in a statement," 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 roof over the Centre Court was installed in 2008, allows play when it's wet but those who have played under it have said how heavy and how humid the conditions can be.
It is far from the first time players have slipped on the courts at Wimbledon. In 2013, a number of players have slipped including Maria Sharapova and many such as Victoria Azarenka, suffered injuries on the same day, dubbed "Wacky Wednesday" by the British media.
Two years later, Wimbledon moved back a week the calendar and it was thought that playing the tournament in the first two weeks of July would bring dryer , warmer weather.
