Tennis chief defends condition of grass after slip complaints

0 Richard Lewis, confident of the quality of the surface The head of the All England Lawn Tennis Club has defended Wimbledon’s courts amid criticism about the condition of the grass.

Chief executive Richard Lewis said he was “100 per cent confident” of the quality of the surface, and downplayed concerns from players.

It comes after a number of competitors complained that the courts were more slippery than in previous years, with Frenchwoman Kristina Mladenovic branding Court 18 dangerous.

Mr Lewis said: “We are very happy with the courts – 100 per cent confident in them.

“And all the metrics, all the measurements that are taken, show that the courts are as good as ever.”

He added: “I had a look on Centre Court yesterday and I think it’s as good as I have ever seen it, to be honest. A lot of grass and it looked fantastic.”

Andy Murray has also said the condition of the courts is not as good as previous years.

But Mr Lewis said he had not seen many players slipping on the grass.

Asked about competitors’ complaints, he said: “We respect the players’ views and players in the heat of battle, in the heat of a tournament, will have their views and we respect those views. In the end, all we can do is go by what we always go by every year.”

He praised the “award-winning” grounds team, adding: “We are very confident about what they do and the way the courts are shaping up.”

The roof on Centre Court was closed on Sunday until 4pm in a bid to “relieve the stress on the grass”. Police are searching for a prisoner who escaped from court.

Steven Mcgovern, 18, gave security staff at Edinburgh Sheriff Court the slip and was last seen in the city’s Grassmarket at 5pm.

Members of the public are warned not to approach Mcgovern, who Police Scotland said “managed to free himself ” from G4S staff.

He is described as white, around 5ft 7in tall, with brown hair and was wearing a green hooded Lacoste tracksuit, a blue T-shirt and green trainers when he absconded.

He has links to the Drylaw area of Edinburgh.

Police warned the public not to approach him.