Andy Murray attacks Wimbledon after Serena Williams and Adrian Mannarino suffer injuries | Tennis | Sport
[ad_1]
Andy Murray expressed sympathy for Serena Williams and hit out at the state of Wimbledon‘s Centre Court surface as the American icon followed Adrian Mannarino in having to retire due to injury on Tuesday.
The second day of play at SW19 saw back-to-back matches on the main court halted and then ended early by injury.
Aliaksandra Sasnovich was gifted a walkover against 23-time Grand Slam winner Williams with the score at 3-3 in the first set.
And that came after Mannarino, the opponent of Roger Federer, was forced to give the Swiss legend a walkover win before the fifth set, with the score having been 4-6, 7-6, 6-3, 2-6.
Both Mannarino and Williams were forced to withdraw after suffering initial falls on the same side of the court, though the Frenchman’s eventual withdrawal was because of a knee complaint which did not appear to come from his slip.
And two-time Wimbledon champion Murray said on Twitter after Serena was forced to quit: “Brutal for @serenawilliams but centre court is extremely slippy out there. Not easy to move out there.”
Both Mannarino and Williams sought to play on through the pain but could not do so, with the latter forced to tears.
Williams, 39, is still looking to draw level with Margaret Court on 24 Slams having last won a major at the Austrlian Open in 2017.
“I’m so sad for Serena. She is a great champion,” said Sasnovich. “It happens sometimes in tennis, but all the best to her.”
Federer meanwhile reflected of Mannarino’s withdrawal: “It’s awful. It shows that one shot can change the outcome of a match, a season, a career. I wish him all the best and I hope he recovers soon.
“He could have won the match, he was the better player, so I got a bit lucky.
“You don’t get many walkovers throughout a career. I’m obviously happy I can get another chance for a match here.
“I worked very hard and I enjoyed myself out here until the end.”
MORE TO FOLLOW
We’ll be bringing you the very latest updates, pictures, and video on this breaking news story.
For the latest news and breaking news visit: /sport/football
Stay up to date with all the big headlines, pictures, analysis, opinion, and video on the stories that matter to you.
Follow us on Twitter @DExpress_Sport – the official Daily Express & Express.co.uk Twitter account – providing real news in real-time.
We’re also on Facebook @DailyExpressSport – offering your must-see news, features, videos, and pictures throughout the day to like, comment, and share from the Daily Express, Sunday Express, and Express.co.uk.
[ad_2]
Source link
