It’s turf at the top for grass guru Mark

WIMBLEDON’S centre court is a second home to Mark Ferguson – he has spent more time there than Andy Murray.

Unlike 30-year-old World No.1 Murray, Mark is far from a household name. But his work alongside the groundskeepers at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club ensures the championships take place. Mark, left, is a research manager at the Sports Turf Research Institute (STRI) in Bingley, West Yorks, who develops the mix of grasses to CHARLIE YATES ensure centre court in SW19 survives a gruelling 85 hours of play each tournament.

Wimbledon grass gets more punishment in just 11 days than a Premier League football pitch does in a season. Mark, 44, said: “One of the things we do is measure the declining grass cover on the courts as it steadily wears out. We compare it to different years.

“If you ask the players, they would prefer warm and dry conditions, but in 2015 we had a

heatwave and on-court temperatures were getting up to 40-odd degrees centigrade. “Grass is the most difficult surface for the players to adapt to as they play on it less than other surfaces.

“And Wimbledon is the most important event in the tennis season, so we have to ensure we get it right.

“One of the objectives of Wimbledon is to promote grass as a surface for tennis.”

He added: “The quality of the grass is there to see.

“When you see re-runs of Borg and McEnroe you can see the court was yellow or brown for the final. “Nowadays most of the court surface is as green as it was on day one. That is a mark of how well the grounds team prepare and manage the courts.” And the ultimate compliment came when champion Novak Djokovic nibbled on it. Mark said: “When he won Wimbledon in 2015, Novak Djokovic was so impressed with the grass he got down on his hands and knees and ate some of it.”