Wimbledon’s new head groundsman said on Thursday he was “100 percent happy” with the grass courts despite a string of players tumbling out through injury.
Reflecting on his baptism of fire as Wimbledon’s number one “Turf Man,” Neil Stubley said: “We are still confident this morning coming in that we are still producing the best tennis courts in the world.”
Wednesday’s day of shocks and slips provoked tabloid headlines like “Wimbledon carnage” with Croatian player Marin Cilic calling it “a very black day.” “We are 100 percent happy with the playing surface and it’s no different to any other year,” he said.
Second seed Victoria Azarenka called on the organisers to examine the state of the courts after taking a fall. Then on Wednesday seven more players joined the Wimbledon casualty list in what was a record number for one day at a Slam.