Sharapova Calls Court “Dangerous,” Doesn't Blame Loss On Conditions

Maria Sharapova described the conditions of Wimbledon’s Court 2 during her second-round loss to Michelle Larcher de Brito as “dangerous,” but did not blame that for her early exit. Sharapova in her post-match press conference said it was a "bit slippery on the outside" of the court. Sharapova: “The first couple of days they're always a bit like that, but I don't think I've seen as much as I have in the last few years." She added, “I don't think I've ever fallen three times in a match before in my career, so that was a little strange.”

Many players slipped while playing today and women’s No. 2 seed Victoria Azarenka withdrew from the event due to injury from a slip in the first round. ESPN’s Chrissie Evert said, "I'm sure all these other injuries and slippages of these players are just ingrained in these players' minds right now." She noted weather “has a lot to do with it" because the area "had a rainy fall, a very, very cold winter" (“Wimbledon,” ESPN2, 6/26).