Wet Wimbledon Grass Causes Falls, Disappointment
2021-07-01
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1The Wimbledon tennis championship in London has been marked by wet weather and slippery conditions.
2The famous tennis competition, one of four major championships in the sport, started Monday.
3Early in the week, top-ranked player Novak Djokovic fell and landed on his backside two times. He was not injured.
4But on Day 2, Roger Federer's opponent, Adrian Mannarino, lost his footing, too.
5He was not so lucky.
6The Frenchman's 33rd birthday ended with a knee injury and a loss because he was too hurt to continue.
7That also happened to tennis star Serena Williams on Tuesday.
8It was her latest attempt to tie the record for major tennis championship wins with 24.
9But the game left her crying after just 30 minutes.
10She injured her right leg when her left shoe lost footing in almost the same place that Mannarino had.
11She told the press that she was heartbroken to have to leave the competition.
12All those games were played with the stadium's movable roof closed because of rain.
13And that is what the All England Club blames for how slippery the grass has been.
14The All England Club is a sports membership group that has supervised Wimbledon since the competition began in the 19th century.
15The club said the two opening days this year have been the wettest ones of Wimbledon in almost 10 years.
16Keeping the roof closed for a long period leads to wetter grass, the club said in a statement.
17It was released after Williams and Mannarino got hurt and left the competition.
18Federer told the Associated Press that the courts do seem a little more slippery under the roof.
19"You do have to move very, very carefully out there."
20If you push too hard at the wrong times, "you do go down," he said.
21Federer is an eight-time Wimbledon champion.
22"I do feel it's drier during the day. With the wind and all that stuff, it takes the (wetness) out of the grass."
23The club's statement added that the grass has been prepared with the same level of care as in past years.
24Wimbledon's courts are removed each year and new grass is planted.
25Neil Stubley leads the club's court preparation efforts.
26Before the competition on Monday, he said the club did all the usual preparations even though Wimbledon did not happen in 2020.
27The grass does have a little more wetness on the surface during the start of the competition, the club said in its statement.
28It added that, with each game played, the courts will continue to get firmer.
29Federer offered a similar reaction.
30He knows the space well, having first played at Wimbledon in 1999 and first won in 2003.
31For a lot of the players, he said, it is important to get through those first two rounds, because that is when the grass is slippery.
32"It is more soft," he said. But as the competition progresses, the grass usually gets "harder and easier to move on."
33I'm Alice Bryant.
1The Wimbledon tennis championship in London has been marked by wet weather and slippery conditions. 2The famous tennis competition, one of four major championships in the sport, started Monday. 3Early in the week, top-ranked player Novak Djokovic fell and landed on his backside two times. He was not injured. 4But on Day 2, Roger Federer's opponent, Adrian Mannarino, lost his footing, too. He was not so lucky. The Frenchman's 33rd birthday ended with a knee injury and a loss because he was too hurt to continue. 5That also happened to tennis star Serena Williams on Tuesday. It was her latest attempt to tie the record for major tennis championship wins with 24. But the game left her crying after just 30 minutes. She injured her right leg when her left shoe lost footing in almost the same place that Mannarino had. She told the press that she was heartbroken to have to leave the competition. 6All those games were played with the stadium's movable roof closed because of rain. And that is what the All England Club blames for how slippery the grass has been. The All England Club is a sports membership group that has supervised Wimbledon since the competition began in the 19th century. The club said the two opening days this year have been the wettest ones of Wimbledon in almost 10 years. 7Keeping the roof closed for a long period leads to wetter grass, the club said in a statement. It was released after Williams and Mannarino got hurt and left the competition. 8Federer told the Associated Press that the courts do seem a little more slippery under the roof. "You do have to move very, very carefully out there." If you push too hard at the wrong times, "you do go down," he said. 9Federer is an eight-time Wimbledon champion. "I do feel it's drier during the day. With the wind and all that stuff, it takes the (wetness) out of the grass." 10The club's statement added that the grass has been prepared with the same level of care as in past years. 11Wimbledon's courts are removed each year and new grass is planted. Neil Stubley leads the club's court preparation efforts. Before the competition on Monday, he said the club did all the usual preparations even though Wimbledon did not happen in 2020. 12The grass does have a little more wetness on the surface during the start of the competition, the club said in its statement. It added that, with each game played, the courts will continue to get firmer. 13Federer offered a similar reaction. 14He knows the space well, having first played at Wimbledon in 1999 and first won in 2003. 15For a lot of the players, he said, it is important to get through those first two rounds, because that is when the grass is slippery. "It is more soft," he said. But as the competition progresses, the grass usually gets "harder and easier to move on." 16I'm Alice Bryant. 17The Associated Press reported this story. Alice Bryant adapted it for Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. 18___________________________________________________________ 19Words in This Story 20knee -n. the joint that bends in the middle of the leg 21tie -v. to make the score or competition record equal 22stadium -n. a large building with a large field and seating around it for sports and other events 23roof -n. the cover on top of a building or vehicle 24slippery -adj. difficult to stand or move on because of smoothness, wetness or ice 25court -n. a flat surface where certain games like tennis or basketball are played 26round -n. a stage in a competition in which a player or team must win to continue to the next stage