Wimbledon Officials Dismiss Growing Concerns Over Court Conditions

Wimbledon officials today "dismissed growing concerns over the state of the All England Club courts" despite baselines on some surfaces already "stripped of grass after just four days of the Grand Slam event." The tournament's Court 18 has come in for the "fiercest criticism." On Court 17 yesterday, Bethanie Mattek-Sands "suffered an horrific right knee injury after her leg buckled." It was "not clear, however, whether the state of the surface was a contributing factor" in the accident. The All England Club said, "The court preparation has been to exactly the same meticulous standard as in previous years" (AFP, 7/7).

The Centre Court roof was closed on this morning as Wimbledon organizers "took action to protect the turf from hot sunshine." It was the first time since '15 that the roof "had been closed for reasons other than rain during the championships" (REUTERS, 7/7).