Wimbledon 2021: Back-to-back retirements in matches raise concerns in the tennis fraternity

Serena Williams, a 23-time grand slam champion, seemed to contort her lower leg in the fifth round of her match against Aliaksandra Sasnovich and had to pull out a game later after her body clasped as she attempted to return a serve.It was the second retirement in succession on tennis' most celebrated court after Adrian Mannarino twisted his knee while he was two sets to one facing Roger Federer.

Numerous players and fans reacted to this unfortunate incident:

England's Andy Murray, who struggled on the elusive surface in his first-round clash on Monday, sympathized with Serena Williams. He tweeted: "Brutal for @serenawilliams butCentre Court is extremely slippy out there. Not easy to move out there."

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Aliaksandra Sasnovich said she was "sad" and conceded the grass on the court was hard to continue ahead. She said: "I'm so sad for Serena. She is a great champion. It happens sometimes in tennis, but all the best to her. It was very slippery. I fell as well. When she did an angle, I couldn't run, because it was so slippery."

Billie Jean King, a six-time champion at Wimbledon, communicated her disappointment at Serena Williams' withdrawal on Twitter. She said: "Saddened to see Serena’s Wimbledon end with an injury. She’s a champion, and I hope she’s back on the courts soon."

Serena Williams was by all accounts not the only survivor of the slippery surface on the day. Minutes before she took the court, Adrian Mannarino hurt his knee seriously subsequent to sneaking in his first-round match against Roger Federer. Like Serena Williams, Adrian Mannarino, as well, got some treatment and played a couple of more points before at last yielding the match.

Adrian Mannarino, the world No 41, was quick to endure in the wake of having Roger Federer in a wide difficult situation until a hefty fall in the fourth set. “I just slid down as it was really slippery. I heard a big crack and I knew straight away that I wouldn’t be able to do anything anymore. I’m not used to playing on Wimbledon Centre Court. I didn’t have much time to practice before the match and the court definitely looked slippery to me. I was not feeling great. Every time I tried to push on my feet or change direction I was not comfortable with that,” he said.

Roger Federer, in the meantime, was in a press conference when he heard that Serena Williams had been compelled to withdraw. He said: “Oh, my God, I can’t believe it. It’s obviously terrible that it’s back-to-back matches and it hits Serena as well. You do have to move very, very carefully out there. If you push too hard in the wrong moments, you do go down.”

Talking about Adrian Mannarino's physical issue, Roger Federer said: “It’s awful, it shows that one shot can change the outcome of a match, a season, or a career. He was the better player so I was a bit lucky.”

Roger Federer additionally said he felt the matches being under a rooftop had been a factor. “I do feel it’s drier during the day. With the wind and all that stuff, it takes the moisture out of the grass.”

Normally, the elusive grass at Wimbledon has raised a reasonable few eyebrows in the tennis fraternity. Numerous players, including Novak Djokovic, have tumbled to the turf frequently in the wake of losing their balance. Various players had cautioned about the dangerous courts on the first day of the season of the competition, including Novak Djokovic. Although, conditions showed up much more terrible onasubsequent day, especially on Centre Court. What's more, it stays not yet clear if Wimbledon will do anything about their surface from the following edition onwards.