Wettest weather conditions in a decade to blame for unusually slippery grass, say Wimbledon organizers

Adrian Mannarino and Serena Williams were both forced to withdraw from their respective first-round matches at Wimbledon after slipping on the grass, making many question whether the court surface wasn't safe enough. But the tournament organizers have now declared that the unusually slippery court is primarily due to the wet conditions in the city right now.

Adrian Mannarino endured a nasty fall in the fourth set of his first-round clash with Roger Federer. The Frenchman was visibly in pain and retired early in the fifth set.

Shortly afterwards, American legend Serena Williams suffered the same fate. Williams slipped in the opening set of her Wimbledon opener against Aliaksandra Sasnovich and was forced to concede the match, tearfully departing the court to a standing ovation.

But Wimbledon organisers released a statement on Wednesday in which they dismissed concerns over the quality of the courts, and claimed they had been prepared the same way as in previous years.

"The preparation of the grass courts has been to exactly the same meticulous standard as in previous years," the organizers said in a statement. "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 statement further pointed out that owing to the unusually wet weather that necessitated the closure of the roofs on Centre Court and Court No. 1, the grass had taken on additional moisture. In the absence of enough exposure to sunlight, the surface had become extra slippery.

"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," the Wimbledon statement read.

"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. With each match that is played, the courts will continue to firm up."

@scambers73 add an answer from the AELTC on Wimbledon's slippery grass https://t.co/QgT1sjG0lG

— Cedric Rouquette (@CedricRouquette) June 29, 2021

Wimbledon reaffirmed that hardness readings are taken every morning to ensure optimum levels of moisture and consistent playing conditions.

"The Grounds team and Sports Turf Research Institute (STRI) take hardness readings every morning in order to ensure that the courts have the right level of moisture and are playing consistently," continued the statement.

"We will continue to monitor these readings and adjust our care plan for the grass appropriately.”

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"I do feel it's a tad more slippery under the roof" - Roger Federer on the Wimbledon surface

Roger Federer survived a scare against Adrian Mannarino in his Wimbledon 2021 opener.

Eight-time champion Roger Federer survived an almighty scare in his Wimbledon 2021 opener against Frenchman Adrian Mannarino. Federer was down two sets to one but led by a break in the fourth when Mannarino sustained a nasty injury after taking a tumble on the grass. Mannarino conceded the match early in the fifth set.

When asked about the surface at Wimbledon this year, Federer said that during the first two rounds, the grass tends to be more slippery before the court hardens as the tournament progresses.

"Under the circumstances, those first two matches are always extremely difficult," Federer said. "But it’s 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 it gets harder and easier to move on."

According to Federer, players need to be more cautious when playing under the roof, as the grass tends to be more slippery.

"As I was walking out, the referee asked me how I was feeling about the court. I said, I think the court plays normally as we know it," said Federer. "I do feel 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."

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"The court definitely looked slippery to me" - Andy Murray

Andy Murray

Two-time champion Andy Murray, who needed four sets to win his 2021 Wimbledon opener against Nikoloz Basilashvili, was also critical of the surface. The Brit said he felt rather uncomfortable on the court, especially when trying to change direction.

“I’m not used to playing on Wimbledon Centre Court. I didn’t have much time to practise before the match, and the court definitely looked slippery to me. I was not feeling great. Every time I tried to push on my feet or change direction I was not comfortable with that.”

Brutal for @serenawilliams but centre court is extremely slippy out there. Not easy to move out there.

— Andy Murray (@andy_murray) June 29, 2021