By AP — Asked about his connection with the Centre Court crowd after his second victory there this week, Novak Djokovic joked: "I seem to be having a really nice connection with the grass."
The five-time champion at the All England Club chuckled at his own line, then added, "I don't recall falling this much in the first two matches of Wimbledon.
Yes, less than 24 hours after Serena Williams and Roger Federer's opponent pulled out of matches after getting hurt in falls, the slips kept coming Wednesday.
The No.1-seeded Djokovic was no worse for wear after losing his footing at least five times while beating Kevin Anderson 6-3 6-3 6-3 in a rematch of their 2018 final at the Grand Slam tournament, but he was merely one example of someone who couldn't stay upright.
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Bianca Andreescu, Nick Kyrgios, John Isner and a ball kid were among the folks taking tumbles on Day 3.
"I didn't slip just once; I slipped, like, six times during the match. The courts are pretty wet," said Andreescu, the 2019 US Open champion and No.5 seed who lost to Alize Cornet 6-2 6-1 on No.2 Court. "I mean, the courts are super slippery. I have only played here once before, but they weren't like this at all."
Williams' latest bid for a record-tying 24th Grand Slam title ended with her "heartbroken" and in tears after just 30 minutes and less than a set Tuesday. She injured her right leg when her left shoe lost traction behind the baseline in almost the exact same spot that Adrian Mannarino twisted his right knee while leading Federer.
Both of those matches were on Centre Court. But Isner's trouble came on Court 18 during his five-set loss Wednesday, and Kyrgios came down awkwardly on No.1 Court.
In what sounded like an attempt to dispel the notion that anything might be different about the grass two years since the tournament was last held, the All England Club issued a statement Tuesday night that said, in part: "The preparation of the grass courts has been to exactly the same meticulous standard as in previous years."
Wimbledon's courts are removed annually and new grass is installed. So the fact that the 2020 edition was called off because of the pandemic shouldn't affect things.
"Even though we didn't have The Championships, our renovation program was the same," Neil Stubley, the club's head of courts and horticulture, said before competition began Monday. "So we literally just ripped the courts up and sort of re-leveled, re-seeded and then just grew them back in for this year."
Djokovic offered another possible explanation: Players are out of practice on grass. Not only was last season's circuit on the surface wiped out, but there were only two weeks, instead of the standard three, between the end of the clay-court French Open and start of Wimbledon.
His first-round match Monday, and the matches involving Williams and Mannarino on Tuesday, were played with the main stadium's retractable roof shut because of rain. And that — rather any sort of change to the grass itself at the oldest Grand Slam tournament — is what the All England Club blamed for how slick the surface was during what it said were the wettest two opening days of Wimbledon "in almost a decade."
Keeping the roof closed for a long period leads to "additional moisture" on the grass, the club said.
"It feels a tad more slippery, maybe, under the roof. I don't know if it's just a gut feeling. You do have to move very, very carefully out there. If you push too hard in the wrong moments, you do go down," Federer 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. But this is obviously terrible."
On Wednesday, though, there was no rain, so Djokovic's match was played in an uncovered arena.
The outset of the two-week tournament is "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," the club said in its statement, adding: "With each match that is played, the courts will continue to firm up."
Federer offered a similar assessment.
He's rather familiar with the place, having first entered Wimbledon in 1999 and winning it eight times.
"I feel, for a lot of players, it's super key to get through those first two rounds, because the grass is more slippery. It is more soft," he said, noting that later in the fortnight "usually it gets harder and easier to move on."
As far as Djokovic was concerned, what mattered more than his false steps was the final score.
"Hopefully, as the tournament progresses, I'll also fall less," he said, "even though I don't mind falling more if the result is winning a match."
QUEEN'S CLUB CHAMPION PROGRESSES
Queen's Club tournament champion Matteo Berrettini remained unbeaten on grass this season by defeating Guido Pella 6-4 3-6 6-4 6-0 in the first round at Wimbledon.
The hard-serving Berrettini finished with 20 aces against Pella and clinched the win with a running forehand passing shot.
The seventh-seeded Italian became the first player to win Queen's on his debut since Boris Becker in 1985 and is viewed as an outside contender at this year's Wimbledon.
He reached the semifinals at the 2019 US Open and is coming off a quarterfinal run at the French Open, where he lost to eventual champion Novak Djokovic.
However, Berrettini has never been past the round of 16 at the All England Club.
Former US Open runner-up Kei Nishikori also advanced. He beat Alexei Popyrin 6-4 6-4 6-4 for his 100th Grand Slam match win.
KORDA INTO THIRD ROUND
American Sebastian Korda is into the third round at his first Wimbledon.
The 20-year-old Korda advanced by beating Antoine Hoang of France 7-5 6-4 6-4. It could have been even easier: Korda converted only six of 23 break-point chances, and needed eight match points to close out the win.
Korda is the brother of golfers Nelly and Jessica Korda. Nelly won her first major title last week and is the first American in seven years to reach No. 1 in the women's world rankings.
Sebastian is having a breakout year in his sport and is ranked a career-high 50th.
INSER IN ANOTHER COURT 18 EPIC
John Isner played another five-setter on Wimbledon's Court 18 but couldn't quite create another epic this time.
Isner was broken in the final game to lose 7-6 (5), 2-6, 6-3, 6-7 (3), 6-4 to Yoshihito Nishioka of Japan in the first round.
They were playing on the same court where Isner defeated Nicolas Mahut 70-68 in the fifth set in 2010, the longest match in the history of tennis. The rules at Wimbledon have since been changed to prevent such marathon fifth sets.
It was Nishioka's first win at Wimbledon after losing in the first round three times.
VENUS WILLIAMS OUT TO JABEUR
Venus Williams had a tough time from the start in her second-round match at Wimbledon.
She faced five break points in the 22-point opening game before she held, and things went downhill from there as she lost to No.21 Ons Jabeur 7-5 6-0.
Playing for the second day in a row, the 41-year-old Williams seemed to tire. She had only 15 winners and 36 unforced errors.
Williams was playing in the tournament for the 23rd time. She has won the title five times, most recently in 2008.
Her Wimbledon isn't over yet — she's also playing mixed doubles with Nick Kyrgios.
Williams' sister Serena retired with a leg injury during her first-round match Tuesday.
KENIN GONE IN SECOND ROUND
Former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin's disappointing year hit another low when she was eliminated in the second round at Wimbledon by Madison Brengle, 6-2 6-4.
Kenin struggled with her serve and had 41 unforced errors to seven by the steady Brengle, an American ranked 82nd.
Kenin won the Australian Open in 2020 and was the runner-up at the French Open last October. But she's only 11-10 this year, and lost in the second round of a major for the fifth time.
Brengle, who saved four match points in the first round, beat a top 10 opponent for the first time in more than four years.
SABALENKA FINALLY MAKES THIRD ROUND
Grand Slam underachiever Aryna Sabalenka is into the third round at Wimbledon for the first time, thanks to a narrow win over a local favourite.
The Belarusian advanced by rallying past British wildcard entry Katie Boulter 4-6 6-3 6-3.
Sabalenka has a tour-best 31 match victories this year and is seeded second. She's the only woman among the top 20 seeds who has yet to reach a major quarterfinal.
Boutler, ranked 219th, had the Centre Court crowd roaring until the end. But Sabalenka hit 10 aces and erased six break points to hold in one key game down the stretch.
SVITOLINA DOING HER BIT FOR UKRAINE
Ukrainian Elina Svitolina needs one more victory to play in the third round at Wimbledon on Saturday, the same day her country faces England in soccer's European Championship.
"I think there will be like two people watching my match," Svitolina said. "I'm completely fine with that. I'm just happy to be playing."
Svitolina advanced to the second round by beating Alison Van Uytvanck 6-3 2-6 6-3.
Svitolina was a Wimbledon semifinalist two years ago. She's seeded third, and in the wide-open women's draw, ranks among the favorites.
Ukraine in Euro 2020? Not so much. The team is in the quarter-finals for the first time.
"The pressure is on England," Svitolina said. "Nothing to lose for your Team Ukraine."
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