Wimbledon has been forced to defend the condition of its courts, following two high-profile accidents on the second day of the tournament.
Serena Williams retired from her match in tears, after hurting her left leg when she slipped in the first set against Aliaksandra Sasnovich.
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It was the second consecutive match on centre court that saw a player withdraw, after Adrian Mannarino had to pull out ahead of what would have been a fifth set against Roger Federer.
Former champion Andy Murray noted "centre court is extremely slippy" as a number of players lined up to criticise one of the game's most storied venues.
https://twitter.com/andy_murray/status/1409950765343510528?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Federer, who advanced to the second round for the 19th time at Wimbledon, said the closed roof was definitely a factor.
"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," he said.
"I do feel it's drier during the day. With the wind and all that stuff, it takes the moisture out of the grass."
A day earlier, both Novak Djokovic and Jack Draper lost their footing on a number of occasions during their match.
That drew a degree of concern from seven-time grand slam champion Mats Wilander.
"Obviously it has to do with the court being very green. It was obviously very tricky, very difficult to stand up and not slip around," he said on Eurosport.
"I also think it has to do with the game getting a little bit faster all the time. The players have less time to react, and therefore they are pushing off.
"Both players were slipping quite a lot and that is obviously a concern for the future of grass court tennis. Do we need bigger spikes on the shoes? I don't know what to do."
In a statement issued late on day two, the All England Club defended the condition of the courts.
"The preparation of the grass courts has been to exactly the same meticulous standard as in previous years," it said.
"Each grass court is checked by the Grand Slam supervisors, referee's office and grounds team ahead of play commencing, and on both days of the fortnight they have been happy with the conditions and cleared the courts for play."
The club said persistent rain in recent days had made the problem worse.
"The weather conditions on the opening two days have been the wettest we have experienced in almost a decade, which has required the roof to be closed on centre court and No.1 court for long periods," the statement said.
"This is at a time when the grass plant is at its most lush and green, which does result in additional moisture on what is a natural surface.
"With each match that is played, the courts will continue to firm up."
Mannerino said he heard a crack and knew immediately that he wouldn't be able to continue, noting that the court was "really slippery".
"The grounds team and Sports Turf Research Institute (STRI) take hardness readings every morning in order to ensure that the courts have the right level of moisture and are playing consistently," the All England club said.
"Our long-serving ground staff team have experienced nearly every combination of weather conditions possible. They keep abreast of, and utilise the latest grass court technologies, prepare for every weather eventuality and react to the current conditions on a daily basis.
"We will continue to monitor these readings and adjust our care plan for the grass appropriately."
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