Measurements taken throughout Wimbledon’s first week show the grass courts are as healthy as they have been in recent years, the head of courts and horticulture at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club said on Saturday.
A number of players have been concerned about the court condition over the opening week, including Kristina Mladenovic of France and Alison Riske of the US, who each fell during their second-round match on Court 18 on Thursday.
Riske, who won the match, said afterward that the dirt “is like ice.”
Photo: AP
“We looked at the baselines and the areas that they thought there was an issue,” Neil Stubley said. “We didn’t feel there was. The Grand Slam supervisor and assistant referee didn’t believe that there was either.”
“When you look at the comparisons of other courts within the Championships, they were in or around the same condition as the other courts,” Stubley said.
Very little rain has fallen over the first six days of the tournament, which Stubley said has led to more wear on the courts.
Still, although he acknowledged the courts are under stress, he said there is “not a doubt” they will hold up throughout Wimbledon’s second week.
“Because we have daily monitoring, we can keep a very tight rein on everything,” he said. “It never gets to the point where it’s ever going to get away from us because we’re on top of it every single day.”
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
The Minnesota Timberwolves, with so many promising performances spoiled by late mistakes fresh in their memory bank, sure timed this strong finish well. Jaden McDaniels scored a career playoff-high 30 points and spearheaded Minnesota’s stifling defense on an ailing Luka Doncic, and the Timberwolves beat the Los Angeles Lakers 116-104 to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference first-round series in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Friday night. “Jaden never looks tired. He looks like he could play 48 minutes,” said teammate Anthony Edwards, who had 29 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Julius Randle added 22 points for the Wolves, who outscored
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
RSS